No bail over teen rape rap
A TEENAGER charged with raping a female in a car in Dublin has been remanded in custody.
The man (19), who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at Dublin Children’s Court yesterday because the alleged offence happened when he was a minor.
The youth is accused of raping a female in a car in south Dublin in a date in March 2020, when he was aged 17.
There was no application for bail and he was remanded for a week.
GARDAI now want Gerry “The Monk” Hutch hit with a second charge that carries a life sentence, it has emerged.
Days before Gerry Hutch (58) goes on trial for murder, sources have told The Star that detectives want the Dubliner charged with directing a crime gang — and are likely to ask for his prosecution within weeks.
And they confirmed that this offence carries the possibility of a life sentence — just like anyone convicted of murder.
“He could have two life sentences if things go a certain way,” a source said last night.
Sources have confirmed to The Star that Mr Hutch — who was taken from his cell in west Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison by specialist gardai from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation on Wednesday morning — was quizzed on suspicion of directing a crime gang for more than 12 hours.
He was later released without charge and returned to the custody of the Irish Prison Service — but a file is now being finalised for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
And we have learned that the file is likely to be sent to the DPP within a matter of weeks — with a recommendation that Mr Hutch be charged with the offence of directing a crime gang.
A source said last night: “For him to be taken out of prison and have allegations put to him shows that the investigation is almost complete.
“The next stage is for the investigative file to be sent to the DPP, with a recommendation that he be charged.
Basis
“That is probably a few weeks away.
“Then it will be up to the DPP to examine the evidence and decide if there is any basis for a prosecution.”
Such an examination usually takes several months and Mr
Hutch’s trial for the February 2016 murder of Daniel Kinahan associate David Byrne (34) at the Regency Airport Hotel – which starts on Monday and is likely to last 12 weeks — will probably be over by the time the DPP decides.
Mr Hutch was back in Wheatfield last night following his questioning in a west Dublin Garda station.
Sources confirmed that the arrest of Mr Hutch is connected to a longrunning probe into allegations that criminals were passed intelligence by a retired garda.
That former officer is currently before the courts and cannot be named, but there has been an 18-month-long investigation into the claims —that culminated in Mr Hutch being arrested at 6am on Wednesday. Gardai had to get a special order — called a section 42 warrant — to take Mr Hutch from Wheatfield prison and arrest him. He was then taken to a Dublin Garda station, where he was held overnight. Gardai confirmed last night that a man had been released without charge after being arrested as part of a probe into organised crime.
Although they did not name him, sources confirmed it was Gerry Hutch, who has an address at the Paddocks, Clontarf, north Dublin.
A spokeswoman said: “Gardai have released the man (50s) without charge yesterday evening, Wednesday 28th September, 2022 from the provisions of Section 4 Criminal Justice Act, 1984 and confirm a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.”
Separate
Sources confirmed that the investigation is separate to the probe into the murder of David Byrne.
The Crumlin man was shot dead when criminals connected to the Hutch gang stormed a boxing weighin at the hotel in a bid to murder their top target Daniel Kinahan (45) — Ireland’s most notorious mob boss. They missed Kinahan but shot Byrne dead.
Hours after the Hutch arrest, former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall (44) and his father Patrick (65) — both of Cabra Road Dublin 7 — pleaded guilty at the non-jury Special Criminal Court to facilitating the murder.