The Court of Appeal has dismissed a bid by Jonathan Dowdall to have his 4-year sentence for facilitating murder at Regency Hotel reduced, saying that in their view the jail term imposed by the Special Criminal Court was ‘very lenient’,
“We would not demur from that observation. Indeed, in our view, the sentence imposed, when viewed in the round, has to be seen as lenient – indeed, very lenient,” said Mr Justice Birmingham.
The former Sinn Féin councillor’s barrister, Micheal O’Higgins SC, told the Court of Appeal that Mr Dowdall had been put in the ‘firing line’ for the attack on the Regency Hotel.
But the judges dismissed the bid to reduce the 4-year sentence handed down for facilitating the murder of David Byrne, a Kinahan cartel member.
Mr Justice Birmingham, with Ms Justice Una Ní Raifeartaigh and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, said: “If we had any doubts about the appropriateness of this sentence, it would be as to whether a more severe sentence ought to have been imposed.
However, we will contend ourselves by saying we are entirely satisfied that the sentence cannot be regarded as unduly severe,” he added.