‘Accused looked panicked after Hutch shooting’

MURDER accused Jonathan Keogh looked “panicked” as he ran up a Dublin street on the morning Gareth Hutch was shot dead, a trial heard.

Colette Geoghegan told the Special Criminal Court she was coming down Summerhill with her partner Maurice Farrell when she saw Jonathan Keogh.

Mr Hutch (35), a nephew of Gerry Hutch, was shot dead as he was getting into his car outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street.

Earlier, the court heard a cousin of Mr Hutch was behaving erratically when gardaí arrived on the scene and shouted at them: “What took you so long to get here.”

When asked who was injured on the ground, Ross Hutch told a sergeant: “You f**king know who it is, do your job.”

Jonathan Keogh (32), his sister Regina Keogh (41) and Thomas Fox (31) have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Hutch on May 24, 2016.

Mr Fox, of Rutland Court, Dublin 1, has also pleaded not guilty to possession of a Makorov handgun in suspicious circumstances on May 23, 2016.

It is the State’s case that Jonathan Keogh, of Gloucester Place, Dublin 1, was heard expressing his intention to kill Mr Hutch the evening before the shooting.

It is alleged Mr Fox and Ms Keogh were instrumental in planning the murder, and Mr Keogh and another man, Mr AB, were the shooters.

In her evidence, Ms Geoghegan said she left her home at

9.50am, heading down Summerhill towards the NYP club. She didn’t notice Mr Keogh at first, but saw him when Mr Farrell pointed him out to her.

Mr Farrell told the court he had seen Mr Keogh running up Rutland Street.

Ms Geoghegan said she heard about the shooting on the news and went to her friend’s house.

At one stage her friend, Mr Keogh’s then girlfriend, went downstairs and came back with an envelope full of €50 notes.

Ms Geoghegan said there was “quite a large amount” of notes.

She said she minded her friend’s children overnight that night, for the first time, and when her friend contacted her the next day she didn’t recognise the mobile phone number.

Her friend returned home at

8.30pm the day after.

In his evidence, Garda J P Costigan said he arrived at Avondale House at 10am, minutes after the shooting. He said there was a large crowd in the car park.

He saw Ross Hutch, who approached him in an “erratic manner”. He said to him: “What took you so long to get here?”

The trial continues.