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Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch bids to stop his non-jury murder trial
2 days ago
Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch is opposing the use of the Special Criminal Court for his trial over the Regency Hotel shooting.
His lawyers are to argue before the High Court next Monday that a jury should decide the verdict, rather than three judges.
Mr Hutch, 58, is accused of the murder of Kinahan cartel associate David Byrne at the Dublin hotel on February 5, 2016.
The hotel was the centre of an armed attack during a boxing weigh-in. A hit team stormed the weigh-in armed with AK-47s. Some of the crew were dressed as elite gardaí.
The group opened fire, but while Byrne, 33, was shot dead and two other people were injured, the main target, cartel chief Daniel Kinahan, managed to escape unhurt.
The Special Criminal Court has been used in recent years for gangland trials, and in cases in which it is feared jurors could face intimidation from the accused or their associates. Cases involving terrorism and organised crime offences are automatically brought before the Special Criminal Court for trial.
Other offences are sent there when the Director of Public Prosecutions certifies that the ordinary courts are, in the DPP’s opinion, inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice and the preservation of public peace and order.
In the case of Mr Hutch, the DPP has made the decision that the Special Criminal Court should be used.
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