Gerry The Monk Hutch is on trial this week over the 2016 killing of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel.
The trial of Mr Hutch, 59, began on Tuesday morning before the non-jury, Special Criminal Court, where he is charged with the gangland murder of the Kinahan cartel associate, 34, at Dublin’s Regency Hotel on February 5, 2016.
The Monk had been at large prior to an arrest in 2021 when he was picked up by Spanish police. He pleaded not guilty to the murder of David Byrne on Tuesday.
Read More : Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch trial LIVE updates from day 2 of murder case
The trial has been described as the gangland trial of the century and will run for 12 weeks. The coverage has got people wondering where Hutch got his infamous nickname, The Monk, and there is a simple answer.
In his younger year, Gerry was unconventionally a non-smoker and a non-drinker, on account of losing four of his friends while growing up to issues surrounding addiction.
He abhorred the use of drugs and the problems it caused.
This was what ultimately earned him the nickname 'The Monk' as he acted soberly at all times, just as monks are trained to do.
The nickname was bestowed upon him by Veronica Guerin, the journalist who was murdered in 1996. The name has stuck with him ever since in media coverage and public discourse.
His trial continues before the Special Criminal Court today.
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