Regency Hotel murder trial concludes with verdict due in April

The Regency Hotel murder trial has concluded before the Special Criminal Court.

A verdict in the case is due to be delivered on 17 April.

Judge Tara Burns remanded Gerard Hutch in custody until that date.

His two co-accused, Paul Murphy, 61, of Cherry Avenue, Swords, Co Dublin and Jason Bonney, 52, of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Co Dublin, have been remanded on continuing bail.

Earlier today, the three judge court heard closing statements on behalf of Mr Murphy and Mr Bonney.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to helping a criminal gang commit the murder of a member of the Kinahan organised crime group by providing access to motor vehicles.

59-year-old Gerard Hutch of the Paddocks in Clontarf has pleaded not guilty to murder.

In court this morning, Mr Bonney's senior counsel John Fitzgerald said the case against his client was a "thin case" and that he would suggest to the court there were holes in the case.

The trial previously heard that Mr Bonney identified himself as the driver of a jeep on two occasions on the day in question.

Mr Fitzgerald told the court it was the State’s case that the driver did not change during a six-hour period, however he said that this was not the "only reasonable inference".

He said that the State had adopted a "mixed bag approach" to Mr Bonney's truthfulness, relying on it as some stages and not at others.

The court previously heard evidence from two defence witnesses, who testified it was Mr Bonney's deceased father Willie who was driving the jeep around the time of the murder.

The court heard Mr Bonney did not tell gardaí this in his interview.

Today, Mr Bonney's defence team said that the only reasonable inference was that he did not tell them this to protect his father.

'Assertions are not evidence'

This afternoon, the court heard the closing speech from defence counsel for Paul Murphy.

Bernard Condon SC told court the prosecution had made "broad brush assertions" in the case and that "assertions are not evidence".

He told the court that the "proper verdict" in relation to his client was one of not guilty.

Mr Condon said when it came to his client Paul Murphy, the evidence was circumstantial.

The defence said that every link in the chain of evidence had to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

He said when you put the links together, there are other reasonable conclusions other than guilt for this particular offence.

He said that the court was being invited by the prosecution to convict based on "guilt by association and guilt by suspicion", rather than guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bernard Condon SC raised concerns about the quality of the CCTV footage in the case and that the evidence on CCTV did not meet the necessary standard.

He said a version of events given to gardaí by Mr Murphy had not been contradicted.

Mr Condon said that cell site analysis "does not go anywhere" and was consistent with what Mr Murphy told gardaí.

Mr Condon told the court that Paul Murphy knew Eddie Hutch, and seemed to be a taxi driver for Patsy Hutch.

Bernard Condon said that if Paul Murphy lied about a key card found in his car, the motivation for this was "available to the court", and it was "the fear that existed in this city for people associated with the Hutch family".

Mr Condon said the evidence that his car was travelling in convoy was weak and not beyond a reasonable doubt.

He told the three judge court that the proper verdict in this case in relation to his client, Paul Murphy, was one of not guilty.