Two long-time friends of the Hutch family have received combined jail sentences totalling 17-and-a-half years at the Special Criminal Court for acting as getaway drivers during the notorious Regency Hotel attack in 2016 during which Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne was murdered.
Presiding judge Ms Justice Tara Burns said today that the two convicted men - Paul Murphy and Jason Bonney- had provided "intentional and organised assistance to the Hutch organisation", which she called significant. She said the court could not find that either of the two defendants knew exactly what was to happen but they knew a "serious criminal event was planned" involving six men that needed to be removed from the scene.
Paul Murphy (61), of Cherry Avenue, Swords, Co Dublin was jailed for nine years and his co-accused Jason Bonney (52), of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Dublin 13 was sentenced to eight-and-half-years in prison. Last month following the 52-day trial at the Special Criminal Court, taxi driver Paul Murphy and builder Jason Bonney were found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of facilitating the killing of Mr Byrne, a Kinahan gang member, by acting as getaway drivers in a shooting "orchestrated" by the rival Hutch criminal organisation.
