As Gerry Hutch’s trial draws to a close, the monk hopes to receive the gift of freedom on his 60th birthday
On April 12, Gerry Hutch will turn 60, marking an important milestone in his eventful and often controversial life.
A man known for his strategic thinking and careful planning of his life, the monk – like everyone else who knows him – never dreamed that he would be in custody on his big day.
But celebrating a milestone birthday is now the furthest thing from Hutch.
Just five days later, under heavy guard, he will return to the Special Criminal Court to see whether he should spend the rest of his birthday as a prisoner or as a free man.
If he is acquitted, Hutch will undoubtedly have a mega double celebration with his family and friends.
On Thursday, after 52 days spread over 13 weeks, the Special Criminal Court finally withdrew to review its verdicts in the cases of Mr Hutch and his co-defendants Jason Bonney and Paul Murphy.
Gerry Hutch has denied allegations of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel on February 5, 2016.
The drug dealer and Kinahan cartel member was gunned down when a five-man killer team – three of them disguised as ERU Gardaí and wielding AK47 assault rifles – stormed the building during a boxing weigh-in organized by Daniel Kinahan.
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A court drawing of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch during his trial
It’s the state’s case that Hutch was one of the gang members dressed as Garda who shot Byrne. Jonathan Dowdall, former Sinn Féin councilman-turned-supergrass, has claimed the monk confessed to him that he was one of the killers.
Bonney and Murphy have also pleaded not guilty to participating in or contributing to the murder of David Byrne by providing getaway vehicles for the murder gang.
Ms Judge Tara Burns, the presiding judge, said that “it has been a long process and at times a difficult process” as she announced the court would deliver its verdicts in just over 12 weeks.
In many ways, the time the three judges spent considering their verdicts reflects the complexity of the case and the vast amounts of evidence and testimony they must consider.
The gangland trial of the century, as it has come to be known, was not without its dramatic twists and turns.
In fact, the drama continued until the end of the trial with the last witnesses in the case.
This time, it was Jason Bonney who was the center of attention as his brother-in-law, Paul Byrne, appeared as a state rebuttal witness.
It is the prosecution’s case that Mr Bonney drove the BMW jeep that removed one of the gunmen, Kevin “Flat Cap” Murray, from the scene following the murder of David Byrne.
But Mr Byrne’s unexpected appearance was unusual for two reasons: it was notable that a family member had chosen to testify for the state, and that prosecutors relied on a rarely used section of the Criminal Justice Act that allows them to present refuting evidence short note.
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Security at the Special Criminal Court earlier this week as the trial of Gerry Hutch for the murder of David Byrne entered its final stages. Photo: Collins Courts
Mr Bonney defends himself as not driving his BMW jeep on the day of the Regency attack, but claims that it was his late father, William Bonney, who actually drove the vehicle. Mr Bonney senior died in 2019.
But Mr Byrne, who is married to Jason Bonney’s sister Sharon, told the court on Wednesday morning that at the time of the murder he and his wife were having lunch with William Bonney and his wife Greta – Jason’s mother, who has since also died.
He said that William Bonney, whom he described as a “loving and very warm” person, was at no time driving the jeep in question – and was not leaving his home on the afternoon of the murder.
Mr Byrne was called by the state as a rebuttal witness after a woman testified for the defense the day before that she had met Jason Bonney around the same time he was allegedly involved in the Flat Cap escape.
Julie McGlynn said she knew Jason Bonney “odd 30 years.”
On the morning of February 5, she said she met Jason and William Bonney at her mother’s house.
She said they left around 11:30 a.m. and she saw Jason walk back to a place across the street where he worked and that William Bonney left in the BMW jeep at the homicide investigation center.
Ms McGlynn told the court she saw Jason Bonney around 2.50pm that day after collecting her children from the school bus.
She remembered this because she was upset with him for his truck blocking her driveway and he apologized to her.
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There was a heavy security presence at the Special Court where Gerry Hutch was being tried for the murder of David Byrne. Photo: Collins Courts
She then said that some time later she was told by Greta Bonney that there had been a horrific argument between Jason and his father after Gardai impounded the jeep following the murder.
Jason was furious that his father had apparently implicated him in the crime.
But the lead prosecutor in the case, Sean Gillane SC, was clearly perplexed by Ms McGlynn’s testimony.
He wondered why the witness “never formalized, never put on paper, and never brought to the attention of anyone else” what she knew of that day until after the deaths of William and Greta Bonney.
The stark contrast between the two versions of the story will now form part of the jury’s deliberations
Ms McGlynn told the court that she was contacted by Jason Bonney’s attorneys in October 2020.
“It strikes me as very odd that all this time has passed and you never spoke,” said Mr Gillane, once raising his voice.
“I have to tell you that you are not telling the truth,” he told the witness.
He said that William never drove the BMW and that he was having lunch with his family at home at the time of the murder. Ms McGlynn said she knew nothing about it, replying: “I’m telling you it’s true, definitely true.”
The stark contrast between the two versions of the story will now form part of the jury’s deliberations.
Summarizing the indictment, Mr Gillane’s colleague Fiona Murphy SC said there was sufficient evidence to convict Gerry Hutch of the murder of David Byrne because he was one of the gunmen who shot him in a “brutal and callous execution”.
The 10 hours of recorded conversations between the monk and the former Sinn Féin councilor showed that he (Hutch) was “the man in charge” and had authority over the AK-47 rifles used in the attack.
Ms Murphy said he spoke on the tapes about the movement of the guns at a crucial time, leading to their seizure by Gardai two days after he and Dowdall were secretly taped traveling to meet the IRA in Northern Ireland.
In his closing speech in court, Mr Hutch’s defense attorney, Brendan Grehan, said the case against his client “stands or falls” on whether the Special Criminal Court can believe the evidence presented by Jonathan Dowdall, who he says is a “proven and admitted liar and perjurer “.
He described Dowdall as a “master manipulator” who decided to testify against Gerard Hutch in order to drop his own charges of murdering David Byrne.
He said the state failed to prove his case.
“They simply have not brought forward a case where the court can be persuaded of Gerry Hutch’s guilt in relation to the charges they have brought against him,” he added.
Mr Grehan compared Dowdall to TV character Bart Simpson because he kept repeating things to the effect: “I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, you can’t prove anything.”
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/as-gerry-hutchs-trial-wraps-up-the-monk-hopes-hell-get-the-gift-of-freedom-for-his-60th-birthday-42316782.html As Gerry Hutch’s trial draws to a close, the monk hopes to receive the gift of freedom on his 60th birthday