The Monk, charged with Regency murder, said Jonathan Dowdall not even the six people involved in the attack knew who each other was, the court said

The undercover recording was played today at the trial of Mr Hutch and two other two other men without a jury in the 2016 gangland murder.

In surveillance audio, Mr. Hutch is also heard talking about throwing “those three yokes up there” as a “gift,” allegedly referring to the assault rifles used in the Regency shootings being given to Republicans in the North.

Prosecutors have identified Mr Hutch and Dowdall on the recording where it can be established as evidence.

Mr Hutch is on trial for the murder of David Byrne, who was shot dead in a gangland attack at Dublin’s Regency Hotel on February 5, 2016.

Two other men, Jason Bonney and Paul Murphy, are accused of helping the criminal organization responsible by providing cars used to evict the attackers after the shooting.

Mr Byrne, 33, a member of the Kinahan gang, was killed when gunmen stormed the hotel – three assault rifles disguised as ERU Gardaí, along with a gunman dressed as a woman with a blonde wig and another gunman inside an apartment cover.

A sixth person drove the van that took them to and from the crime scene.

The attack on a box weigh event has fueled a bloody feud between the Kinahan and Hutch gangs.

Mr Hutch (59) of The Paddocks, Clontarf, Dublin, Mr Murphy (61) of Cherry Avenue, Swords and Mr Bonney (51) of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock deny the charges against them.

Jonathan Dowdall had also been accused of murder, but before the trial began he instead admitted facilitating Mr Byrne’s murder by booking a hotel room for the perpetrators.

The court has heard that as he drove Mr Hutch north on March 7, 2016, covert tracking and audio equipment was deployed by the Garda National Surveillance Unit on Dowdall’s Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep.

Prosecutors are trying to use a 10-hour recording of conversations from that trip as evidence.

The admissibility of the evidence is being challenged by Mr Hutch’s defense, who allege that the jeep was out of jurisdiction for eight hours, where any surveillance by Gardaí is unlawful.

The three non-jury judges will rule on admissibility after hearing the audio and point of law motions.

Today, Garda Michelle Purcell told District Attorney Sean Gillane SC that the voices heard on the recording were identified as JD and GH.

She agreed that this referred to Jonathan Dowdall and Gerard Hutch where supported by evidence.

The pair were heard talking about a man named ‘Fish’ and Dowdall told Mr Hutch he would give him a phone number for a man named ‘Wee’.

He also referenced Pearse McAuley.

Mr Hutch and Dowdall were heard talking about explosives, with Mr Hutch asking Dowdall ‘what about the rubber stuff’ and the ‘plastic’.

Mr Hutch said it was “just a ball of bleeding putty” and “if it’s a hundred years old then it’s fine.”

Mr Dowdall replied that “when you manipulate that, the electrical impulse goes in and sets off a chemical reaction, and that’s what sets it off.”

Mr Hutch said: “This is to show that the product works.”

Mr Dowdall said that “the det that goes into the plastic just replaces the spool”.

Mr Hutch asked him, “If you put it under an engine what would happen.”

Mr. Dowdall also mentioned “gunpowder”.

Mr. Hutch was heard to say to Dowdall: “These three yokes we throw to them one way or another… even if we never meet them again.”

“There is a gift, the three yokes,” he said.

Earlier in the trial, Mr. Gillane said it was the prosecution’s case that the “yokes” referred to the assault rifles used in the attack on the Regency Hotel and that they were meant to be “gifts” to Republicans in the North.

As the recording continued, Dowdall said, “It was too dangerous to move.”

“Fish probably wouldn’t give a shit if he got caught with it,” said Mr. Hutch.

Mr Hutch spoke of being ballistic pursued if “an RUC man is dead in 12 months”.

He said he flew into Dublin Airport and there were two detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The Gardaí asked him to explain his moves and told him they had “check boxes here,” he said.

Mr Hutch said he told them if he did he would “imply more people and you’ll be at their door” and before you knew it “there’s a can of worms”.

“I said it’s a terrible state what’s going on here,” he said.
He said there would be “a cameraman waiting outside to take my picture”.

Dowdall spoke of the “amount of coverage he wants to get online, everywhere, every day.”

Mr Hutch said: “I had to push to get her out of the village.”

Buckingham Village in north downtown is a site that prosecutors claim was “put into use” on the morning of the Regency attack.

Mr Hutch said on the recording: “I would say any smart police officer would say it was a shared yoke” and mentioned the “Contos”.

He then spoke about the Kinahans, saying, “Daniel looks like a bunch in the photos I’ve seen of him in the papers.”

“They’re used to the pressure from the Bulls,” Dowdall said.

“I can understand why he is the way he is,” Mr. Hutch continued, adding, “If some motherfucker walked in with an AK47 and I came out by the skin of my teeth…”

“You could see he was all messed up,” said Mr. Hutch.

“Anyway, they’re going to jail, Gerard,” Dowdall said.

“I don’t think the newspapers have a damn clue about the Regency,” he said, adding that he didn’t think the police did either.

“The damn six people don’t know who the six people are, nobody knows, so how can they know,” said Mr. Hutch.

“I definitely know that two people don’t know each other. It’s all speculation looking at snaps.”

Aside from the “man and woman,” he said, “the rest is all speculation,” Mr Hutch continued.

“The way the cops got them photos, they screwed up,” he said, adding there would likely be a “loophole.”

Mr Dowdall said he said to Patsy at the time: “What the hell are you doing with everything in this village?”

He said Patsy had “pushed himself out of the village” but would be “better off saying he’s always in and out”.

Brendan Grehan SC, representing Mr Hutch, said at this point in the recording that the jeep had crossed the border.

The two discussed meetings, with Dowdall suggesting they “leave the room” and leave Mr. Hutch there.

“I always say if you come to me alone you can get more out of me,” said Mr. Hutch.

“I made my tea the last time I came up with you,” Dowdall said.

“If I’m talking to this man and you want me to go, just give me a freaking nod,” he said.

“You’re as valuable to them as they are to you,” Dowdall added.

He said, “You’ll find none of them have fancy lifestyles or anything,” and they discussed the IRA and the “Contos.”

Mr Hutch could be heard on a phone call giving directions after walking past Newry.

Mr Dowdall then spoke about an election time interview and a man who asked him about an incident “if it comes up in the media”.

This man was dating an election adviser.

Dowdall said he told him he wasn’t ashamed of anything in his past and the man told him it was his job to ask him out.

He said: “Mary pulled a couple of them, those were Sinn Féin guys.”
Dowdall said he wanted to know the name of whoever was “feeding it into Sinn Féin and trying to fuck me”.

He asked Mr. Hutch if he knew “Kavanagh’s Bomber” and said that every year in Ennis there was a dance competition in which “his bird” would enter.

“Not to say do something to the bird, Gerard,” he said.

Mr Hutch was then overheard on a further telephone call asking about the Saintfield area of ​​Belfast.

“You could just grab her,” Dowdall continued.

“Patsy and the family and anyone talking about any peace process,” Mr Hutch said.

Dowdall said that when a peace deal is struck, “and they’ve gotten you relaxed and they’ve got you caught, it’s game over for your whole family.”

“You have to watch out for these c**ts and their abilities,” Hutch said.

Dowdall referred to the Kinahans as “a big damn army”.
Mr Hutch said “they could look for someone who did Liam Byrne too”.

He spoke about the “two c**ts that tried to take me down,” but said they were “just killers” and “this killing has got to stop.”
“They’re sluts, Gerard, and they’d give up their men,” Dowdall said.

Discussing what “path he would take” if there was a “meet talk,” Dowdall said, “It can’t go on like this.”

“They are also in bad shape with their lives,” Mr Hutch said.

“Clinchy” has been taken into custody and must be sentenced, he continued, saying Dowdall Clinchy is a love hate actor.

Dowdall then said his wife went to see “this Adele” in concert and that she was “down to earth like one of us”.

The trial will continue before Ms. Justice Tara Burns, Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone.