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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
John Hand

Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch trial sees CCTV footage of man wearing flat cap getting into black jeep allegedly linked to one of the accused minutes after David Byrne was shot dead

The trial of Gerry "The Monk" Hutch has seen CCTV footage of a man wearing a flat cap getting into a black BMW X5 jeep allegedly linked to one of the accused minutes after David Byrne was shot dead.

On day four of the trial, the Special Criminal Court was shown footage of the movement of the black jeep.

The prosecution alleges this BMW vehicle is linked to Jason Bonney, who denies helping a criminal gang commit murder by providing a motor vehicle.

Garda Michelle Purcell brought the three-judge court through the footage.

On February 5, 2016, CCTV was shown of a laneway from Charlemont estate into St Vincent's GAA grounds in Marino in north Dublin minutes after the shooting of thug Byrne.

Byrne, 33, was a senior Kinahan cartel member who was blasted to death at 2.32pm at a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel.

Nine minutes later, at 2.41pm, six men were seen running down the laneway.

A man wearing a wig and carrying a bag is leading the group, another man wearing a fluorescent jacket is second while a third man in a flat cap is also carrying a bag. He was followed by three others.

The man in the flat cap is seen putting a bag into the back passenger side of the BMW X5 jeep parked up in the St Vincent's GAA grounds before he got the front passenger seat.

(Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin)

The court previously heard that Kevin Murray, of Strabane in Co Tyrone, was allegedly the flat cap shooter on the day of the attack.

He had stayed at the Regency Hotel the night before the attack and even enjoyed a pint there.

Murray, a dissident republican gunman, died of motor neurone disease before he could be prosecuted.

The three accused sat in the dock on the top left side of the court yesterday.

Hutch, 59, is accused of Byrne's murder while Bonney, 50, of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Dublin 13, and Paul Murphy, 59, of Cherry Avenue, Swords, Co Dublin, are charged with participating in or contributing to the facilitation of the killing by providing motor vehicles for a criminal gang on February 5, 2016.

David Byrne was shot dead at boxing weigh in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016 (Internet Unknown)

All three have pleaded not guilty.

With combed back grey shoulder length hair, Hutch wore a green jumper and navy chinos and sat on a cushion he has been bringing to court.

At the beginning of the hearing yesterday, he put on his glasses as he flicked through a folder of notes while he again wore his headphones listening intently to proceedings.

In the afternoon, he turned to his left to watch the CCTV footage being shown on the TV and watched intently.

Bonney also turned his body to face the monitor, with his left hand on the back of the bench with Murphy, in the middle, also turning his head to watch.

Sadie Byrne, the mother of David Byrne, was present once again to listen to evidence.

File photo dated 5/2/2016 of a Garda cordon outside the Regency Hotel in Dublin (PA)

Garda Purcell showed footage of the movements for the BMW throughout the afternoon on the day of the killing in a number of north Dublin locations on February 5, 2016.

While the prosecution claims the vehicle is linked to Bonney, the accused's barrister John Fitzgerald SC previously said this evidence would be challenged and that it was a legal issue.

Gda Purcell identified the vehicle in numerous locations saying it had tinted windows with a silver rim around them, a faulty brake light on the left-hand side and that the vehicle was mucky.

She said that the BMW is seen driving through Raheny on the day of the murder. It passed Beachcomber Pub, Killester at 1.42pm.

The jeep turns right off Malahide road onto Casino Park which then leads into St Vincent's GAA club where footage from the laneway shows it parks up at 2.05pm before the six men were seen running down the lane more than 35 minutes later.

The BMW - which the man wearing the flat cap was seen getting into - turns left out of Casino Park.

Just before 3pm, the BMW drives through Artane and there is then gap in CCTV, where it is next captured at 3.46pm at Hole in The Wall Road, Donaghmede.

It makes its way to Drumnigh Wood in Portmarnock at 3.50pm before leaving 40 minutes later.

The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Tara Burns, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone.

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