State witness Jonathan Dowdall has to be moved out of Limerick prison because he’s taking up too much space, we can reveal.
Sources have confirmed that Dowdall is currently alone on a landing that can house up to a dozen prisoners – in spite of a massive overcrowding crisis in the Irish prison system. That stark reality has forced prison bosses to make the decision to imminently move the high-risk Dowdall out of Limerick Prison, so that the landing can be fully filled with other prisoners.
However, moving Dowdall has not been an easy decision for authorities within the Irish Prison Service, who, it is understood, have had multiple discussions over the last number of days over how to handle the sensitive decision.
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The imminent move comes after Dowdall’s father Patrick – who was the only other prisoner on that landing – was released from prison last week.
Shamed former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan, whose evidence in the murder trial of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch was firmly rejected, is now likely to be transported to Dublin’s Arbour Hill Prison in days.
That unprecedented move will see Dowdall, who is still serving his four year sentence for facilitating the murder of David Byrne, shifted into a prison that is typically only reserved for sex offenders.
Sources said prison bosses have assessed the potential security threat around Dowdall and determined that the unique circumstances he finds himself in potentially put him at risk in almost every other major prison in the land – including Portlaoise – the country’s maximum security facility.
It may mean Dowdall will soon be rubbing shoulders with some of the most notorious sex offenders in the country.
As this paper previously reported, Dowdall’s bags were packed a week before the verdict in the Special Criminal Court trial of Gerry Hutch, in the event an immediate move was necessary.
Last month, Ms Justice Tara Burns fumed during the judgement of Gerry Hutch, in which she said it could not be said that Dowdall suddenly “found God,” – and it was clear he stood to benefit by speaking to gardai.
He claimed he met with Gerry Hutch in a park in Whitehall two or three days after the Regency, and that The Monk confessed to the murder. However the court rejected this evidence and said Dowdall was not a reliable witness who could be trusted.
Dowdall had pleaded for his murder charge to be dropped and in fact it was, in place for the facilitation charge, before he gave evidence in the trial of Gerry Hutch. He was then to be considered for the Witness Protection Programme on the basis of an ongoing threat to his life.
Dowdall had claimed his life was over once he turned State witness, but insisted he was telling the truth about Hutch. Now that his evidence has been rejected and The Monk walks free, it isn’t clear if this will have any impact on his application.
Patrick Dowdall was released last week after serving his time for facilitating the murder, by booking a hotel room at the Regency which was used by ‘Flat Cap’ shooter Kevin Murray.
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