Gerry Hutch made toasties and fried spuds for his fellow inmates as he took it upon himself to become the landing chef during his 19 months behind bars in Ireland.
The Irish Mirror can reveal how the criminal mastermind also lived up to his nickname “The Monk” in Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison, walking up to 10k every morning and evening before going to bed at 10.30pm.
Hutch last month was acquitted of Kinahan enforcer David Byrne’s 2016 murder at the Regency Hotel by the Special Criminal Court.
READ MORE: Ireland weather: Met Eireann forecasts unusual conditions as mercury rises amid thunderstorm deluge
It’s understood he remains living in his plush Clontarf home as he spends time with family but he is expected to leave the country in the coming weeks.
Having been extradited from Spain at the end of September 2021, he was brought to Wheatfield Prison to the 3G landing, where lags associated with the Hutch gang are based.
They are segregated from the rest of the prison population due to the threat that exists against them.
Also on the landing when Hutch was initially admitted was Jonathan Dowdall, who later turned state witness, and his father Patrick.
Both remained there for the following six months.
Ross Hutch later joined his uncle and remains there as he serves a 10-year stretch for a shocking attack on a man and woman.
Despite being “stand-offish” with staff at the start of his stint, The Monk soon grew into life at Wheatfield.
Sources have revealed he took on the role of a chef, with a handmade sign made by other lags which read: “Gerry’s Deli”.
On the 3G landing, the segregated prisoners have their own George Foreman grill and a microwave.
In the mornings, Hutch often made porridge with honey for himself and others.
When there was leftover spuds, he cooked up fried potatoes for the lads while he also put together cheese, tomato and onion toasties. A source said: “When he first went into Wheatfield, he was very paranoid and didn’t engage with anyone. He was very stand-offish.
“But the barriers between him and the staff were broken down fairly quickly. He treated them with respect and vice versa.
“He settled in then, he became the landing chef and all. He even had a ‘Gerry’s Deli’ sign at one stage.
“Up on that landing, they had a George Foreman and a microwave. So Hutch cooked up bits and pieces for everyone there the whole time.”
The Monk also lived a disciplined life behind bars.
Those on the 3G landing are brought out to the yard as a group on their own in the morning and evening.
Due to security in place for their safety, hallways down to the yard have to be walked and cleared by staff beforehand.
But sources revealed how Hutch spent an hour and a half each morning and each evening walking up to 10k. And every night, he went to bed at 10.30pm.
Another source explained: “Everyone knows who Gerry Hutch is. But there wasn’t an ounce of trouble from him in the prison.
“In fact, he was a great influence on others around him in terms of how positively he engaged with the system.
“He set an example for others and was a model prisoner.”
Sources claimed Dowdall was the opposite and a thorn in the side of staff. The ex-Sinn Fein councillor and his dad were in Wheatfield until April 2022, both serving sentences for a shocking waterboarding attack in 2015.
Dowdall Jnr had also initially been charged with the murder of Byrne at the Regency.
But he was granted bail in April 2022 and his father was moved prison.
In a sensational turn of events, he went on to become state witness against Hutch and the murder charge was dropped against him.
Both he and his father pleaded guilty to facilitating Byrne’s murder. Dowdall remains behind bars while dad Patrick walked free in recent weeks after serving his sentence. It is understood both men have been accepted into the Witness Security Programme.
The day The Monk walked free from the Criminal Courts of Justice, his two co-accused Jason Bonney and Paul Murphy were brought into custody after being convicted of assisting the Hutch gang in the murder.
They helped the Regency gunmen by driving two of the getaway cars that helped them escape on February 5, 2016.
The pair are now both on the Hutch 3G landing in Wheatfield, where they are said to have settled well.
They are due to be sentenced at the Special Criminal Court on Monday.
READ NEXT:
- Man who stunned Regency Trial with evidence about getaway driver insists he did not lie to the court
- Additional tickets released for Katie Taylor v Chantelle Cameron ranging from €258 to €1,525
- Ged McKenna - who cleaned up house where Keane Mulready-Woods was murdered - walks free from prison
- 'Thundery downpours' and 'spot flooding' predicted in Met Eireann weekend forecast
- Claire Byrne rules herself out of the running to be the next host of The Late Late Show
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
