Former SF politician threatened to kill man he imprisoned

A FORMER Sinn Féin councillor whose home was raided by detectives investigating the Regency Hotel bloodbath was charged with separate offences including threatening to kill a man after officers discovered an incriminating video on his phone.

Jonathan Dowdall (38) and his father Patrick Dowdall pleaded guilty yesterday at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin to falsely imprisoning and threatening to kill another man.

Jonathan Dowdall previously went on RTÉ’s ‘Liveline’ to deny any involvement in crime after gardaí raided his home. The property was searched by the special detective unit over 24 hours last month.

A BMW car worth €85,000, a high-powered motorbike, documentation and other valuables were taken by officers.

Members of the Garda water unit were also called in to search a large aquarium, thought to be worth “tens of thousands of euro”.

But it has emerged that the father and son were arrested after a video was found on Jonathan Dowdall’s seized phone.

Jonathan and Patrick Dowdall (59), of Navan Road, Dublin 7, have now both admitted to falsely imprisoning Alexander Hurley by detaining him without his consent at Navan Road on January 15, 2015.

Both men also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Mr Hurley at the same place on the same date. The incident is not linked to the capital’s feud.

Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, presiding at the three-judge, non-jury court, remanded the men in custody until April 28, when they will be sentenced.

Michael O’Higgins SC, representing Jonathan Dowdall, said that a psychological report would be prepared on behalf of his client.

Jonathan Dowdall (pictured above) has been in jail since being arrested as he tried to leave the country on May 17 last.

His arrest came less than four days after he was officially warned by gardaí about a threat against his life. The threat came from the deadly Kinahan cartel who have been feuding with the Hutch faction.

The electrical contractor, with no previous convictions, previously spoke to RTÉ, denying any connections to “criminality or any crime organisation”.

He admitted knowing people related to Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, many of whom have no links to crime.

Queried about his association with the Hutch family, he said: “You know how the inner city works, everyone knows everyone . . . some of them I’m proud to know, and there’s plenty others I’ve never met.

“Just because someone has the name Hutch doesn’t mean anything.”