Hutch remains under Garda investigation despite Regency-killing acquittal

Gerard Hutch, who was acquitted on Monday of the 2016 Regency Hotel murder of David Byrne, remains under investigation by the Garda over allegations he directed an organised crime gang. That inquiry is also examining whether Mr Hutch (60) was tipped off, from inside the Garda, about a European arrest warrant issued for him in 2021.

Detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation have already arrested and interviewed Mr Hutch, while he was in custody awaiting trial for Byrne’s killing. Former Garda supt John Murphy, who was convicted of possessing cannabis at his north Dublin home in 2021, was also questioned as part of the same investigation when he was taken from his prison cell in February to be interrogated.

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Garda sources said they now expected father-of-five Mr Hutch, The Paddocks, Clontarf, north Dublin, to leave the jurisdiction. The Special Criminal Court found no evidence to incriminate him of the allegation he was one of the shooters on the day though it believed the Hutch faction was behind the attack.

In reply to queries on Monday night, Garda Headquarters said it “noted” the not guilty verdict against Mr Hutch, and the guilty verdict of two other men — Paul Murphy (61) of Cherry Avenue, Swords, and Jason Bonney (50) of Drumnigh Woods, Portmarnock — on lesser charges of aiding the Regency gang by acting as drivers on the day. It added the investigation of the Regency attack was ongoing and urged anyone with information to come forward.

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The Department of Justice said Minister for Justice Simon Harris “notes the judgments of the Special Criminal Court”, in reply to queries about whether the gathering of evidence and conduct of the case would be reviewed in any way.

“The judiciary are, under the Constitution, independent in the exercise of their functions,” the department added. It said the Garda inquiry into the Regency attack “remains live and is continuing”. Furthermore, the Garda had “made significant progress in tackling gangland crime in recent years” and would continue to enjoy the Government’s support in that regard.

The Special Criminal Court will deal with an application by Mr Hutch for his legal costs, expected to be a substantial six-figure sum, on May 8th next when Bonney and Murphy will also be sentenced.

[ Hutch maintains monastic silence as he walks free from court ]

[ Hutch acquittal unlikely to silence critics of non-jury Special Criminal Court ]

David Byrne, a Kinahan cartel associate, was shot dead when a five-man gang burst into a boxing tournament weigh-in at the Regency Hotel, Whitehall, Dublin, looking to murder Daniel Kinahan, one of the cartel leaders.

The State’s case against Mr Hutch was that he was one of three gunmen in the “hit squad” who were dressed in mock Garda uniforms and armed with AK47s. However, the Special Criminal Court concluded a “reasonable possibility arises on the evidence” that the Regency attack “was planned by” Mr Hutch’s brother by Patsy Hutch. It added the evidence could suggest “Gerard Hutch stepped in, as head of the family, to attempt to sort out the aftermath of the Regency, particularly as his own life was at risk”.

Patsy Hutch — whose son Gary was killed in Spain in September 2015 — who started the Kinahan-Hutch feud, remains under 24-hour Garda protection as the threat to his life from the Kinahan cartel continues more than seven years after the Regency attack.

The Special Criminal Court said the key witness for the State in the case against Gerard Hutch, former Sinn Féin cllr Jonathan Dowdall, was not credible. In its judgment delivered by Ms Justice Burns, sitting with judges Sarah Berkeley and Gráinne Malone, Dowdall was described as a liar who had continued to tell lies while giving evidence against Mr Hutch during the trial.

The court added the contention Mr Hutch was one of the gunmen was not credible, pointing to the fact he was in his 50s when the attack occurred. The CCTV images of the attack suggested the three gunmen in mock Garda uniforms moved with the agility and speed of much younger men in a “high velocity” attack.