‘Further development’ | 

Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch’s Regency murder trial delayed in light of new evidence

Dressed in a white, open-necked shirt and mustard-coloured trousers, Mr Hutch sat alongside his co accused in the dock and remained silent throughout the proceedings.

4th October 2022

The trial of Gerard “The Monk” Hutch for the murder of David Byrne in a gangland shooting at Dublin’s Regency Hotel has been delayed to give his defence time to examine additional prosecution evidence.

Mr Hutch (58), who was brought before the Special Criminal Court amid heightened security today, is “anxious” for his trial to proceed despite recent developments in the case, his lawyer said.

However, the additional evidence has led to a “fundamental reappraisal of the defence strategy,” Brendan Grehan SC said, before the case was adjourned for a week.

Mr Hutch and two other men had been due to stand trial this afternoon over the gun attack during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency on February 5, 2016.

Mr Hutch, of The Paddocks, Clontarf, Dublin is charged with murdering Mr Byrne (34).

Dressed in a white, open-necked shirt and mustard-coloured trousers, Mr Hutch sat alongside his co-accused in the dock and remained silent throughout the proceedings.

Co-accused Paul Murphy (59) of Cabra Road, Cabra and Jason Bonney (50) of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, are accused of facilitating the murder by providing access to vehicles to the criminal organisation who carried it out. All three deny the charges.

Former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall (44) and his father Patrick Dowdall (65) had also been due to stand trial over the Regency shooting today but last week entered pleas of guilty to facilitating Mr Byrne’s murder.

The father and son, from Navan Road, Cabra, Dublin both admitted making a room at the hotel available for a criminal organisation or its members the day before the attack.

This afternoon, prosecutor Sean Gillane told the three-judge court there had been developments where the Dowdalls had “taken a certain course” and had sentencing adjourned.

There had been a further development for the remaining three accused in relation to the serving of additional evidence, he said. There was also outstanding disclosure.

This had been discussed with the defence and it was felt appropriate for the case to go back for a week.

Mr Hutch had been in custody for over a year and “is anxious to proceed with his trial,” Mr Grehan said.

He was ready to proceed today “but matters developed late last week” and he was served with “significant additional evidence that has resulted in a fundamental reappraisal of the defence strategy,” he said.

He was expecting a substantial amount of further material and pre-trial discussion.

Ms Justice Tara Burns said the court “knows nothing about anything, this is news to us” and “we are somewhat in the dark.”

Mr Grehan said he hoped the trial could begin in the current legal term.

Barristers for Mr Bonney and Mr Murphy consented to the adjournment, to September 10.

A murder charge that had been initially brought against Jonathan Dowdall was formally withdrawn by the prosecution as a “nolle prosqui” was entered.

David Byrne was shot dead in the lobby of the Regency Hotel when armed, masked men disguised as garda ERU members stormed the building and opened fire during a boxing weigh-in event.

Mr Byrne, a Crumlin father-of-two and Kinahan gang member, died when he was shot six times. His murder sparked the ongoing Kinahan-Hutch feud.

Earlier today, the Dowdalls’ sentence hearing was told Patrick Dowdall booked a room at the hotel the day before the shooting and he and his son handed the key cards over to a criminal gang member.

Their lawyers said the Dowdalls were not part of a crime gang, had not been aware how the room was to be used and did not benefit from their involvement. Patrick Dowdall made a “catastrophic error of judgement” and his son was the “author of his own misfortune,” the court heard.

Jonathan Dowdall is now available as a prosecution witness in the upcoming murder trial and is being assessed for the garda witness protection programme, their sentence hearing was told.

Gerard Hutch was returned to Ireland from Spain in September 2021 to face trial here after losing a final appeal against his extradition.

He was arrested on the Costa del Sol by the Guardia Civil in August last year on foot of a warrant issued in Ireland and has been in custody since.

A nephew of Mr Hutch, Patrick Hutch (28), walked free from the Special Criminal Court in 2019 after charges against him over the Regency shooting were dropped by the State. Patrick Hutch of Champions Avenue, Dublin 1, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Byrne and possession of firearms. The Regency Hotel, on the Swords Road in north Dublin has since been renamed the Bonnington.