HANDBAG SNATCHED | 

Gerry Hutch’s nephew kept under ‘harsh’ regime in jail due to his surname, court told

Alan Hutch is a son of Eddie Hutch (59) who was murdered at his home on February 8, 2016

Today at 10:38

A NEPHEW of Gerry “The Monk” Hutch has been jailed for six months for snatching a woman’s handbag in a Dublin pub.

Alan Hutch (41) was sentenced for the theft after a court heard he was “extremely ill” due to mental health problems, was under high protection in custody “because of his surname” and his family was “falling apart.”

Hutch, from Portland Place in the north inner city, pleaded guilty to theft in the incident on September 9 last year.

Dublin District Court gardai said the victim had been in the “Red Parrot” pub on Dorset Street and had put her handbag down on the counter, near a fire exit.

While described as The Red Parrot in court, the name of the premises the incident occurred in is Juno. The Red Parrot has ceased to exist since September 2021.

The bag was taken and contained her iPhone, her sister’s iPhone, car keys and a Bank of Ireland debit card.

Hutch was identified on CCTV.

Alan Hutch is a son of Eddie Hutch (59) who was murdered at his home on February 8, 2016, in a revenge attack for the notorious Regency Hotel shooting three days earlier.

His mother Jane Hutch (66) was found dead from a suspected heart attack at the family home in January this year.

Eddie Hutch’s brother Gerry Hutch was found not guilty by the Special Criminal Court in April this year of the gangland murder of David Byrne at the Regency.

A psychiatric report before the court stated that Alan Hutch, who was already in custody on remand on other charges, was fit to plead.

His solicitor Yvonne Bambury said, however, that Hutch was “severely ill”, his mental health had deteriorated and he had been moved to what was effectively a medical wing in Wheatfield prison.

Ms Bambury felt the accused had “masked” and “downplayed” his illness because he was concerned about being moved to a psychiatric facility.

“His father was murdered in retaliation for the Regency” and his mother who had health problems “died while he was in prison,” Ms Bambury said. “His family is falling apart.”

“When he comes out of custody he will have nowhere to go and I’m concerned about his capability for an independent existence,” she said.

Because of “the fact of who he is,” Hutch had to come to court under armed escort.

Although he had never been involved in “anything like that”, he was under a high level of protection “because of his surname” and it was “extremely harsh for him.”

There was no victim impact evidence before the court. Hutch had 76 prior convictions for offences including theft. Judge Smyth backdated the six-month sentence to August 2.