The Special Criminal Court has delivered a verdict of not guilty in the murder case where Gerard ‘The Monk’ Hutch was accused of shooting a man dead on the 5th of February 2016.
The trial centred around the murder of Dublin criminal David Byrne who was shot dead at the Regency Hotel in Dublin at a boxing event which the court heard was controlled by the Kinnehan crime gang.
The verdict was delivered to a packed courtroom which according to Judge Tara Burns was worked on over Easter and finalised last night.
The court said it was satisfied that Gerard Hutch “was in control over and had possession of guns,” that had been used in the killing.
However the evidence provided before the court did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Hutch was the killer.
Evidence of conversations involving the accused before the court suggested that Gerard Hutch was seen “as the head of the Hutch crime family” and at most gave rise to him the giving the go ahead for the shooting, but his direct involvement could not be proven.
Hutch had spent over a year in Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison before the verdict was delivered this morning.
Byrne was shot dead in the reception area of the hotel by one of a gang of armed men, one of whom was dressed as a woman.
200 people were in attendance for the weigh-in of the boxing event held at the hotel that day.
Three hitmen were involved in the shooting after which they were seen making their escape in the direction of St. Vincent’s GAA club.
The court heard that at least 12 people were involved in the organisation of the attack.
The court said it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a burnt out van found in the Charlemont estate is the same Ford transit van which transported the shooters to Regency (since renamed Bonnington) Hotel at the time of the shooting.
The court described the incident in which David Byrne was shot dead as a “meticulously planned” assassination.
Among those charged in relation to the incident Paul Murphy (61) of Cherry Avenue, Swords was found guilty of providing access to a motor vehicle used during the attack. The court said it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a silver avensis used to transport those involved in the shooting belonged to Murphy.
Jason Bonney (51) of Drumnigh Wood Portmarnock was also found guilty of providing access to vehicles thereby assisting in the killing.
Both had pleaded not guilty.
Former Sinn Fein Cllr. Jonathan Dowdall – who was previously convicted for torturing a man in an incident that Judge Burns described as “truly appalling and shocking- pleaded guilty to charges of facilitating the murder in relation to the booking of a hotel room used in connection to the incident.
Loading ...