CASE DELAY 

Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch’s trial for David Byrne murder at Regency Hotel adjourned for one week

• 18:56, 3 Oct 2022
• Updated: 18:56, 3 Oct 2022

GERRY ‘The Monk’ Hutch’s trial for the murder of David Byrne at Dublin’s Regency Hotel has been adjourned for a week.

But the Special Criminal Court heard that the case — which is listed to last for 12 weeks — won’t start for at least a fortnight as the defence consider “additional evidence” which has been served.

Hutch’s counsel Brendan Grehan SC told the three judges that developments in the case last week had led to a “fundamental reappraisal of the defence’s strategy”.

Hutch, 59, from Clontarf, Dublin 3, is charged with Byrne’s murder during a boxing weigh-in at the hotel on February 5, 2016.

Co-accused Paul Murphy, 59, of Cabra Road, Dublin 7, and Jason Bonney, 50, of Drumnigh Wood, ­Portmarnock, Dublin 13, are due to stand trial alongside Hutch.

They are charged with supplying logistical support to a six-man team suspected of carrying out the murder.

Rang

Mr Grehan, for Hutch, said the extra evidence in the case had been served but it would require ­“substantial disclosure” that the defence would need time to go through.

Judge Tara Burns said the Special Criminal Court was fully booked and if a new trial date was to be set it would not take place for some time.

Counsel said Hutch was anxious to proceed and given he had been in ­custody for over a year they were “fully focused” on getting the trial started as soon as they could.

His lawyers asked for a week-long adjournment to see what progress had been made.

Counsel for both Murphy and Bonney had no objection.

Hutch was in court for the brief hearing.

Sporting long grey hair, a white shirt and beige trousers, he listened to proceedings through headphones.

He was brought from his cell in Wheatfield Prison under armed guard and a tight security operation was in place around the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street.