Dowdall appeal put back until Monk verdict given
Ex-sinn Fein councillor was jailed for 4yrs on facilitating Regency murder
JONATHAN Dowdall’s appeal against his jail term for facilitating the murder of David Byrne has been put back until after judgment in Gerry Hutch’s trial.
In December last year, the former Sinn Fein councillor launched an appeal against his four-year sentence and a hearing date was fixed for February 20.
The 44-year-old pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court to making a room available to the Hutch gang at the Regency Hotel in Dublin, where Kinahan cartel member Byrne, 34, was shot in February 2016.
He had originally been charged with murder but the State dropped that charge after Dowdall admitted to the lesser facilitation role. His father, Patrick
Dowdall, 65, was jailed for two years for his facilitation role.
At the Court of Appeal yesterday, Gemma Mcloughlin-burke BL, for Dowdall, who did not attend, applied to have the appeal adjourned to await the outcome of the Hutch trial. The court of Appeal then sent the matter to the next list to fix dates on March 27. Dowdall was being assessed for the Witness Protection Programme when he gave evidence for the State against his former friend “The Monk”.
The State concluded its case against Hutch on January 24 after 13 weeks of evidence. When sentencing Dowdall in October last year,
presiding judge
Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the former electrician was “complicit in the crime” despite maintaining he was not aware of the purpose for which the room in the Regency was to be used.
Referring to a submission by Dowdall’s counsel that no “injustice” would be done by giving a suspended sentence due to exceptional circumstances of the case, Mr Justice Hunt said “regrettably” the court could not accept this.
Mr Justice Hunt said Dowdall had previously committed “serious crimes of violence” and he was not a person of previous good character.
Both Jonathan and Patrick Dowdall have previous convictions for false imprisonment, threatening to kill and causing serious harm from January 2015.