Former Sinn Fein man willing to give evidence on gangland murder

In light of this new evidence, the trial of Gerry “The Monk” Hutch for the murder of Mr Byrne was adjourned for a week to allow for “a fundamental reappraisal of the defence strategy”.

The long-awaited trial had been due to begin yesterday.

Jonathan Dowdall, 44, of the Navan Road in Dublin, last week pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of Mr Byrne at the Regency Hotel on February 5, 2016.

Mr Byrne, 34, was shot dead at a crowded boxing weigh-in in 2016, in one of the early attacks of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud.

The court was told yesterday that he was shot six times in an “execution-style killing” at the north Dublin venue, where a number of people were involved.

At a hearing of the non-jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin, the court heard how Dowdall and his father had been involved in the booking of a hotel room at the Regency the day before the killing.

The court heard that CCTV showed the room being used by Kevin “Flatcap” Murray, believed to be linked to the IRA, who the court heard was shown on CCTV as one of the figures involved in the Regency attack.

Mr Murray died in 2017 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Dowdall’s father Patrick Dowdall, 65, with the same address on the Navan Road, also pleaded guilty last week to facilitating the murder.

Patrick Dowdall appeared in court yesterday, sitting alongside his son.

Michael O’Higgins SC told the court that one Garda theory was that the Dowdalls had been “used in this process” in order to book the room in the Regency hotel the day before the fatal attack.

The defence argued that Jonathan Dowdall had been “somewhat compromised” by the familiar relationship between his family and the Hutch family.

The court heard that Dowdall’s mother had been a neighbour of Gerry Hutch, and the families had interacted in relation to loans and boxing clubs.

Detective Sergeant Patrick O’Toole told the court that he believed Jonathan Dowdall was “sincere and genuine” in his cooperation with Gardai, and that the offer to be a State witness was a “process that’s in train at the moment”.

When asked whether Dowdall had “indicated his willingness to give evidence” in court, Mr O’Toole said he had.

Dowdall has four children aged between 11 and 25, the court heard.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, one of the three-judge panel, said sentencing would be handed down on Monday, October 17.