Killing of David Byrne

Last updated

2016 Regency Hotel Shooting
Part of Hutch–Kinahan feud
LocationRegency Hotel, Whitehall, Dublin
Coordinates 53°22′39″N6°14′45″W / 53.37740°N 6.24593°W / 53.37740; -6.24593
Date5 February 2016 (2016-02-05)
Attack type
 shooting
Weapons3 PM md. 63 Assault Rifles Multiple Handguns
Deaths1
Injured2
Perpetrators6
MotiveRevenge on Kinahan Gang for the murder of Gary Hutch
Regency Hotel Regency Airport Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 1347062.jpg
Regency Hotel

The Irish criminal David Byrne was shot dead on 5 February 2016 at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall, Dublin. [1]

Contents

It is believed by the Garda Síochána that Daniel Kinahan, the son of Christy Kinahan, was the intended target, but had left early. [2] [3] [4]

Background

Byrne had been investigated by every Garda specialist unit since he was a teenager. [5] He was present at the fatal stabbing of Declan Gavin in August 2001 in Crumlin, Dublin. [5] He was called as a witness in the trial of Brian Rattigan for the killing, but said he had seen nothing. [5]

David Byrne had been arrested many times and was a suspect in the murder of Gary Bryan in Walkinstown in 2006. [1]

In January 2016 Gardaí had a special policing plan put in place for the following month when two boxing events would be attended by members of a criminal gang associated with Christy Kinahan. [6] The Kinahan gang have a long association with boxing both in Dublin and Marbella. [7]

Shooting

On 5 February 2016 there was to be a boxing match for the WBO European lightweight title between Jamie Kavanagh and Antonio João Bento at the Regency Hotel in Whitehall, Dublin. At the weigh-in there was an organised armed attack; the match was cancelled after the shooting. [8] There were at least four attackers with masks, army style-helmets and flak jackets, two of whom were disguised as members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit and armed with AK-47s. An associate of the Kinahan cartel, David Byrne (34) was shot dead; security sources said that the gang had intended to kill others. Two men were injured and taken to the Mater Private Hospital and Beaumont Hospital. [8]

After the attack, security camera recordings suggested that six people had been involved, including a man disguised as a woman. [9] The attackers escaped in a Ford Transit van which was later found burnt-out. [8]

Funeral

Because of the length of time Byrne's body would be waked at his parents' house before the funeral, special security measures were put in place. [10] The funeral was held at the Church of St Nicholas of Myra, Francis Street. [10] Gardaí checked the church before and after the ceremony for explosives but the funeral passed without incident and the hearse went to Mount Jerome Cemetery. [10]

Investigation

One line of investigation is that the shooting was in revenge for the murder of Gary Hutch in Spain in September 2015. [8]

Shortly after the shooting a call was placed to the BBC saying that the Continuity IRA had carried out the attack because Byrne had been involved in the killing of Alan Ryan four years before; however, the Continuity IRA later stated that it was not responsible. [11]

On 18 May 2016 Patrick Hutch, the brother of Gary Hutch, was charged at the Criminal Courts of Justice with the murder of David Byrne. There was no application for bail; the defendant was granted legal aid and remanded to appear in Clover Hill District Court on 25 May. [12] [13] The trial of Patrick Hutch for murder and possession of firearms was later set for January 2018 at the non-jury Special Criminal Court; he was denied bail. [14] On 20 February 2019, all charges against Patrick Hutch were dropped and he walked free from court. [15]

In October 2019 the High Court ordered the Director of Public Prosecutions to provide transcripts of the collapsed trial to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. [16] Jonathan Dowdall, a former Sinn Féin counciller, was subsequently charged with the Regency murder. [17]

In April 2021, Gerry Hutch became the subject of a European Arrest Warrant as Gardaí said they had enough evidence to charge him with murder in connection with the shooting of David Byrne. [18] The EAW was issued after the Director for Public Prosecutions moved that he be charged with murder and tried before the Special Criminal Court. [18] He is also likely to face other charges, such as attempted murder and possession of firearms. [18] An investigation file was submitted by Garda detectives based in Ballymun to the DPP late in 2020. [18]

In April 2021 three men appeared in court in relation to the shooting. [19] In August 2021 Gerry Hutch was arrested in Spain on foot of the European Arrest Warrant in connection with the shooting. [20] [21] [22] In September 2021 Gerry Hutch was extradited to the Republic of Ireland and charged with the murder of David Byrne. [23]

On 28 September 2022 both Jonathan Dowdall and his father Patrick pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of David Byrne. [24]

On 3 October 2022 the Special Criminal Court was told that Jonathan Dowdall was willing to be a witness in the Regency shooting trial. [25] The trial was adjourned for a week. [25] Though Dowdall had been convicted of facilitating the murder, the charge of murder against him had been dropped. [25] Dowdall is under Garda protection and is being assessed for the witness protection programme. [25]

In April 2023 Gerry Hutch was acquitted of the murder of David Byrne. [26]

Aftermath

The hotel was renamed the Bonnington in October 2017. [27] The renaming had been considered before the shooting, but the process was accelerated after it. [27]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Foy, Ken (6 February 2016). "Murder victim David Byrne (34) was one of the capital's most notorious gangland criminals". Irish Independent . Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  2. ↑ O'Keeffe, Cormac (8 February 2016). "Gardaí believe main target jumped out a window to escape Regency hotel attack". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Lally, Conor (8 February 2016). "Regency Hotel shooting: Cutbacks saw gardaí miss a big target". The Irish Times . Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  4. ↑ O'Neill, Sean (13 June 2020). "Daniel Kinahan: Tyson Fury's adviser is on radar of UK drug unit". The Times . Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Lally, Conor (7 February 2016). "David Byrne profile: Victim one of a new breed of criminal". The Irish Times . Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  6. ↑ Foy, Ken (30 January 2016). "Armed gardai on alert as Kinahan mob fly in for boxing events". The Herald . Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Foy, Ken (6 February 2016). "Kinahan mob is heavily involved in professional boxing". Irish Independent . Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Major investigation into fatal hotel shooting gets under way". RTÉ News and Current Affairs . 6 February 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  9. ↑ Henry McDonald (7 February 2016). "Murders in Spain, and a Dublin attack with AK-47s: the deadly 20-year war of Ireland's drug cartels". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 O'Keefe, Cormac; Ó Cionnaith, Fiachra; McEnroe, Juno (11 February 2016). "5-day Garda op for David Byrne funeral". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Gordon Rayner (9 February 2016). "AK-47s used in Dublin shooting 'could have been former IRA weapons' peace process observer says". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Man charged with Regency Hotel murder". RTÉ News and Current Affairs . 18 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "David Byrne murder: Man in court over Dublin boxing weigh-in attack". BBC News . 18 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Natasha Reid (21 December 2016). "Patrick Hutch denied bail over David Byrne Regency Hotel murder". Dublin Live . Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "David Byrne murder: Death of detective leads to trial collapse". BBC News . 20 February 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  16. ↑ O'Loughlin, Ann (18 October 2019). "High Court orders DPP to give collapsed Hutch murder trial transcripts to GSOC". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "Former Sinn Féin counciller charged with Regency murder". RTÉ News . 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Williams, Paul (20 April 2021). "European hunt for Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch as arrest warrant issued over Regency Hotel attack". Irish Independent . Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Schiller, Robin (20 April 2021). "Three Dublin men appear in court charged in relation to Regency Hotel murder". Irish Independent . Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  20. ↑ Reynolds, Paul (12 August 2021). "Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch arrested in Spain". RTÉ News . Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  21. ↑ O'Connor, Niall (12 August 2021). "Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch arrested in Spain in connection with Regency Hotel shooting". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  22. ↑ Sunderland, Ciarán; McGrath, Dominic (12 August 2021). "Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch arrested in Spain". Irish Examiner . Press Association . Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  23. ↑ O'Riordan, Alison (29 September 2021). "Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch charged with the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in 2016". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  24. ↑ Neilan, Paul (28 September 2022). "Jonathan Dowdall and father Patrick plead guilty to facilitating 2016 Regency Hotel murder". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  25. 1 2 3 4 MacNamee, Garreth (3 October 2022). "Gerry Hutch trial: Case adjourned for a week as court hears Dowdall willing to act as witness". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  26. ↑ "Gerard Hutch not guilty of the murder of David Byrne at Regency Hotel". Irish Times. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  27. 1 2 Feehan, Conor (7 October 2017). "New name and a fresh start as feud-hit Regency Hotel becomes the Bonnington". Irish Independent . Retrieved 3 December 2017.
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