Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Dowdall tracking data ‘destroyed’
Defence calls issue ‘real problem’
ALL records from a tracking device on former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall’s vehicle were destroyed before the Regency Hotel murder trial began, the Special Criminal Court heard.
Earlier, the non-jury court in Dublin heard from defence counsel gardai destroyed records from a device.
It was placed on Dowdall’s Toyota Land Cruiser when he is alleged to have driven murder accused Gerard Hutch for a meeting with republicans in the aftermath of the shooting.
Brendan Grehan SC, defending Hutch, said “disturbingly” the notes were destroyed after his client was arrested and charged with the murder of Byrne.
Counsel said the destruction of these records was a “real problem” and he did not accept the State’s assertion that it was done in accordance with the Criminal Justice Surveillance Act 2009. Gerard
“The Monk” Hutch, 59, last of
The Paddocks, Clontarf,
North Dublin, denies the murder of Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne, 33, during a boxing weigh-in at Dublin’s Regency Hotel on February 5, 2016.
In his opening address, Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, said it was the State’s case that Hutch asked Dowdall to arrange a meeting with provisional republicans to mediate or resolve the Hutch-kinahan feud due to threats against the accused’s family and friends. Dowdall had driven Gerard Hutch to meet the republicans on
February 20, 2016, he said. The State also said in their opening speech that Dowdall drove Hutch north to a second meeting in Strabane in Co Tyrone on March 7, 2016, and that their vehicle was the subject of audio surveillance.
The Special Criminal Court has already viewed CCTV footage of what the State says is Hutch making two journeys to Northern Ireland with Dowdall on February 20 and March 7, 2016. Giving evidence yesterday, retired Detective Superintendent William Johnston, who was previously head
of the National Surveillance Unit, said he gave approval on February 16, 2016 to deploy the tracking device on the vehicle for a period of two months.
Mr Grehan said the defence had been told that surveillance was carried out on the vehicle by the PSNI on a particular date.
He added: “We are told there isn’t a shred of paper in relation to any interaction in respect of that and that is a matter I intend to probe further.”
Mr Grehan said the defence received a statement from a Superintendent last Friday to say that a tracker was used on the Land Cruiser between February and May 2016.
The barrister said no further details whatsoever were given.
Hutch’s co-accused – Paul Murphy, 59, of Cherry Avenue, Swords, and Jason Bonney, 50, of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, both North Dublin – pleaded not guilty to participating in or contributing to the murder of David Byrne by providing access to motor vehicles on February 5, 2016.
The trial continues.
We were told there isn’t a shred of paper in relation to any interaction BRENDAN GREHAN SC SPECIAL CRIMINAL COURT YESTERDAY