Scientist tells Hutch murder trial of DNA on clothes in car

DNA matching that of a man accused of murdering Gareth Hutch was found on clothes seized from a car at the scene of the 2016 killing, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Jonathan Keogh’s DNA was also found on latex gloves taken from a dressing gown of a key prosecution witness, the court also heard.

Gareth Hutch was shot as he got into his car at a block of flats in Dublin’s north inner city in May 2016.

Forensic scientist Dr Edward Connolly said he examined a balaclava, a biker’s neck warmer and a baseball cap recovered from a BMW car at the scene, and the major contributor on these items came from Mr Keogh’s DNA profile.

Prosecutors claim that Mr Keogh and another man ran to the BMW but abandoned it when it would not start, instead running from the flat complex.

Protected witness Mary McDonnell previously identified Mr Keogh in CCTV footage as one of the shooters. She told the non-jury court he was wearing a black hoodie, black balaclava and black bottoms when he came to her home on the morning of the murder. She said she saw only ‘a bit of his face’ but knew it was him as she knew his face ‘off by heart’.

She said he was also wearing a type of neck warmer, telling the court: ‘He had the balaclava and this up all over his neck.’ Ms McDonnell is a key prosecution witness. She was originally charged with withholding information. That charge was dropped and she has been given immunity from prosecution.

Dr Connolly also said he took a number of swabs from latex gloves taken from Ms McDonnell’s dressing gown and that the DNA belonged to Mr Keogh. ‘It matched the profile which had been obtained from the balaclava, the biker neck warmer and the baseball cap,’ he added.

It is the State’s case that Regina Keogh went to Ms McDonnell’s flat on the night before the shooting and gave her rubber gloves to be used by the attackers the following day.

Mr Hutch, 36, a nephew of Gerry ‘the Monk’ Hutch, was shot dead as he was getting into his car outside Avondale House flats on North Cumberland Street, Dublin 1, on the morning of May 24, 2016.

Thomas Fox, 31, with an address at Rutland Court, Dublin 1; Regina Keogh, 41, from Avondale House, Cumberland Street North, Dublin 1, and Jonathan Keogh, 32, of Gloucester Place, Dublin 1, have pleaded not guilty to murdering him.