SECURITY RISK | 

Prison bosses fear State witness Jonathan Dowdall will be most-at-risk inmate in Ireland

Prison service prepares for one of its biggest ever security operations if Dowdall’s returned to jail

Ken Foy Independent.ie

8th October 2022

The Irish Prison Service is preparing for one of its biggest ever security operations ahead of the expected imprisonment of state witness Jonathan Dowdall.

“This individual is under severe threat from his former associates in the Hutch gang as well as obviously the Kinahan cartel so his security arrangements will require very careful consideration if he is returned to the jail system. It is potentially a big headache,” a senior source told the Irish Independent.

Jonathan (44) and his father Patrick Dowdall (65) are due to be sentenced at the Special Criminal Court next week for their role in the murder at the Regency Hotel of Kinahan gangster David Byrne.

The father and son have pleaded guilty to facilitating the February 5, 2016, murder of Mr Byrne by making a room at the hotel available for a criminal organisation or its members the day before the attack.

Jonathan Dowdall was originally charged with Byrne’s murder alongside gang boss Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch but this charge was dropped on Monday after he agreed to testify in the upcoming trial of The Monk and two other men.

Despite his co-operation with gardaí who he provided a detailed statement to about the Regency Hotel murder, Jonathan Dowdall may still be given a prison sentence for his role in the notorious murder that inflamed the Hutch/Kinahan feud.

“At this stage it is not known if he will be handed down a jail sentence but considering the gravity of the offence he has pleaded guilty to, along with his previous convictions, it is very possible that Jonathan Dowdall will receive some kind of custodial sentence,” a source said.

“If this happens his security will be the responsibility of the prison authorities who will carry out a detailed security assessment on him in conjunction with the gardaí.

“There is no doubt that having a prisoner like this, who is under such huge threat, poses headaches and problems that will need to be addressed,” the source said.

There would be plenty of prisoners who would take up a hit on Dowdall if given the opportunity to so

If he is jailed later this month, Dowdall will be first committed to the high-security Portlaoise Prison but it is still not known where he could be transferred from there.

In whatever prison he may be sent to he will require a highly restrictive protection regime for his own safety.

When the former Sinn Féin councillor served just under six years in prison for falsely imprisoning and water-boarding a man at his Navan Road home in 2015, he served the vast majority of his sentence on the so-called Hutch landing of Wheatfield Prison.

This is the high-security 3G wing of the west Dublin jail which Dowdall was released from in April after sharing the prison wing with Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch since the 59-year-old was extradited from Spain and charged with David Byrne’s murder last September.

“There is obviously not a chance he will be going back there, and it is unlikely he will go to Wheatfield at all,” a prison insider said.

“Because of the perceived strength of the Kinahan cartel in both Mountjoy and Portlaoise prisons, these are also places which would not be safe for him.

“There has been a lot of speculation about Arbour Hill because it previously housed state witnesses who gave evidence in the Veronica Guerin trial but that was a very long time ago, and the prison does not now have a sufficient security profile.

“Another problem with Arbour Hill is that a number of Hutch gang associates live near the jail which would be a massive security headache if Dowdall’s family were visiting him.

“At this stage, a secure unit in the Midlands Prison could be the best option but nothing has been decided yet and there is always a possibility that he might get a suspended sentence and not enter the jail system at all.

WhatsApp accounts set up by the Hutch mob continue to be actively stoking tensions in the situation

“There has been a recent murder in the prison system which shows how volatile it can be, and there can be no doubt that there would be plenty of prisoners who would take up a hit on Dowdall if given the opportunity to so,” the insider added.

There is huge tension in the capital’s gangland scene this weekend after last Monday’s seismic developments in court.

A number of people connected to Dowdall, including some who have no involvement in crime, have been officially warned by gardaí of an active threat against their lives.

Sources say that with Dowdall in a secure location being protected by gardaí, a number of secretive operations have been ongoing to ensure the safety of family members and those close to the former politician.

“There are a number of armed patrols paying more than just passing attention to a number of properties in Dublin,” a source said.

One of these is a house in the Swords area, and there are also a number of properties in the north inner city that gardaí are trying to protect from attacks by the Hutch gang.

“This is a crime organisation which is gripped by paranoia and while the gang members know that Dowdall will testify against The Monk, they are worried what he has told gardaí about other gang members and the workings of their organisation,” a source said.

“To say that they are hurting now is an understatement, and that is what makes this such a dangerous situation – they are extremely dangerous people who are prepared to lash out because of what has happened,” the source added.

WhatsApp accounts set up by the Hutch mob continue to be actively stoking tensions in the situation – with one sinister posting showing a photograph of an innocent close female associate of the state witness who faces spending the rest of his life abroad living in the Witness Security Programme.

Another message claims that the Hutch gang know the contents of letters that Dowdall sent from prison and phone calls he made from jail to a female associate in which he allegedly said that “no matter what, he will not get life in jail”.

Gardaí are monitoring these social media accounts as well as providing protection to more people than in many years since the Hutch/Kinahan feud was at its murderous peak six years ago.