Monk to learn fate just days after his 60th birthday JUDGES TO DELIVER REGENCY MURDER VERDICT ON APRIL 17
GERRY ‘The Monk’ Hutch is set to learn his fate just days after his 60th birthday — when a verdict will be read out before the Special Criminal Court.
After 52 days, 13 weeks, hours of CCTV evidence, 10 hours of tapes, witnesses, maps, and the dramatic cross-examination of Jonathan Dowdall, the so-called ‘Trial of the Century’ finally came to a close yesterday afternoon.
It comes after the court heard a dramatic closing speech on Wednesday in which the prosecution alleged that Mr Hutch was “beyond all reasonable doubt” “one of the two” gunmen that shot David Byrne in the foyer of the Regency Hotel.
It also had heard from Brendan Grehan SC, defending Mr Hutch, who argued that there was no evidence presented from either the 10-hour audio or Jonathan Dowdall that proved his client’s guilt.
The trial concluded yesterday with closing speeches from two senior defence barristers — John Fitzgerald SC, acting for accused man Jason Bonney, and Bernard Condon SC, acting for accused man Paul Murphy.
Ms Justice Tara Burns and Judges Sarah Berkeley and Grainne Malone then briefly retired to consider a date to deliver a verdict.
They returned with Ms Justice Burns stating that the court would return on April 17, on which she said it would be in a position to deliver a verdict in respect of all three men.
However she stated in the “unlikely” event that they had a verdict earlier than that, then the court would be notified.
Hutch, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Kinahan cartel associate David Byrne at Dublin’s Regency Hotel, sat quietly in the dock during the 52nd and final day of the trial.
CO-ACCUSED: Murphy and (top) Bonney
Bail
If the verdict does rule in Hutch’s favour, then he is likely to be celebrating it just five days after his 60th birthday on April 12 this year.
The two co-accused were remanded on bail, while Mr Hutch remains on remand in custody at Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison.
Mr Murphy (61) of Cherry Avenue, Swords and Mr Bonney (52) of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock have denied participating in or contributing to activity that could facilitate the commission of a serious offence — namely the murder of David Byrne — by a criminal organisation by providing access to individual motor vehicles on February 5, 2016.
In their closing speeches, Mr Bonney and Mr Murphy’s defence submitted that there was no evidence presented before the trial that proves beyond all reasonable doubt that they were involved.
In the case of Mr Bonney, the prosecution alleges he used his BMW X5 jeep to drive to Buckingham Village where the gang met up, before then travelling to the St Vincent’s GAA car park and picking up a member of the hit-team.
But Mr Fitzgerald SC, for Mr Bonney, argued that the CCTV and phone evidence in fact proves his client’s account of events in that he went to Newbrook Avenue, where work was being done on a house, and that he gave the car to his father Willie Bonney — who then used it. He said Jason Bonney had been afraid to tell gardai earlier that he believed his father was involved in the Regency incident, rather than him. He said Mr Bonney was clearly in fear of his own life at this point, mistrusted the gardai, and, despite having fallen out with his father, did not want to put his life or liberty in danger either.
The court has already heard that Mr Bonney’s father died in 2019 — and has heard contrasting claims from Mr Bonney’s brotherin-law Paul Byrne that Willie had in fact remained at home with him all day.
Julie McGlynn, a neighbour and longtime friend of Mr Bonney, had given the court an account where she said she saw his father getting into the BMW X5 after Jason had driven it there — and that she subsequently saw Jason going across the road to the building site. Mr Fitzgerald said that Paul Byrne’s account where he claimed
WITNESS: Jonathan Dowdall
he was with Willie Bonney at his home in Donaghmede all day was “vague” and submitted that Ms McGlynn by contrast had “better reasons than Mr Byrne” for remembering what happened that day. Ms McGlynn said she could remember the events because it was her child’s 13th birthday that day.
Mr Fitzgerald said Jason Bonney knew after his jeep had been seized that it must of been of “central importance to the investigation.”
He said therefore if Mr Bonney was such a “skilful liar” then why would he tell the State that he was the driver.
Taxi
Mr Condon SC, acting for Mr Murphy, then spoke on his client’s behalf. Mr Murphy stands accused of using his silver Avensis taxi to meet with the rest of the six vehicles in Buckingham Village, before travelling to the GAA cub and picking up one of the six hitmen.
Mr Condon said that the prosecution had made various “assertions” and stated that none of the CCTV proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr Murphy met with the gang or went to the St Vincent’s car park.
On the assertion that Buckingham Village, where the van alleged to have been used in the Regency and the other vehicles are seen leaving, was the “centre of everything,” Mr Condon argued if this had even been proven.
He said the claim that Mr Murphy’s car was in the area along with any of this was like putting “two and two together and you get 600.”
Mr Condon said that “at the height of it” his client was, by his own admission, attempting to meet with Eddie Hutch and instead ended up talking to Patsy.
However, later he asserted that when a senior garda was called to give evidence about the existence of the ‘Hutch Crime Gang’ that neither Eddie nor Patsy Hutch were named as being members.
He said that in order to be guilty of the charge Mr Murphy would have to have proven knowledge of the existence of this crime gang and that he was assisting it — but no evidence had been put before the court that Patsy or Eddie were members of it.
Mr Condon also argued that the prosecution’s argument that Kevin ‘Flat Cap’ Murray turns up at Buckingham Village at the same time Mr Murphy is there has not been proven.
He says no evidence was provided of any interaction between the two men.