Gerard Hutch trial: Judge warns against recording proceedings

The presiding judge in the trial of Gerard Hutch has warned the public in an overflow court not to video record proceedings.

A prosecution barrister told the non-jury trial that there were images of the trial on social media.

Mr Hutch, from the Paddocks, Clontarf, denies murdering David Byrne, 33, at Dublin’s Regency Airport Hotel in 2016.

The defence cross examination of former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall continued on Wednesday.

Dowdall admitted at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin that the only evidence that he had given Mr Hutch the key to the hotel room used by David Byrne’s murderers was his own testimony.

He said it was also correct that the only evidence that Mr Hutch had admitted shooting Mr Byrne dead was Dowdall’s own word.

Dowdall was due to stand trial for murder with Mr Hutch, but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of facilitating murder.

He has agreed to take part in the Irish witness protection programme in order to give evidence at the trial.

The court has heard that whether his application is accepted is not dependent on his performance as a witness in the Gerard Hutch trial.

Dowdall was jailed for four years in October after admitting to facilitating the killing by renting a room at the hotel.

Asked whether he had decided to give evidence against Mr Hutch to get a lesser sentence, Dowdall said “it was only natural if you’re not involved”.

He denied knowing the hotel room would be used by the murder gang.

Dowdall has previously admitted telling lies during secret garda (Irish police) recordings of his conversations with Mr Hutch.

He has said he did so because he wanted to impress Mr Hutch and because he was on medication for depression at the time.

On Thursday he said he had tried to take his life around this time,

In the secret garda recordings, Dowdall talks of planning to blow up a mobile phone owned by someone called Trevor Byrne in County Wexford.

On Wednesday, he described those comments as “bravado”, “disgusting” and “nonsense” saying he was under surveillance at the time.

He also distanced himself from his secretly recorded comments that he had got his uncle Jimmy’s house shot at.

Brendan Grehan. senior counsel for Mr Hutch, put it to Dowdall that in his dealings with gardaí he was in effect offering to give evidence for the prosecution in this trial in return for having his murder charge dropped.

Dowdall replied: “I suppose that’s correct, yes”.