Two men have been jailed for acting as getaway drivers for two of the gunmen who were involved in the murder of the Kinahan gang member David Byrne at the Regency Hotel seven years ago.
Jason Bonney, 52, a builder from Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Dublin was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years.
Paul Murphy, 61, a taxi driver from Cherry Avenue, Swords, Co Dublin was jailed for nine years.
Both were found guilty of helping the Hutch organised crime group commit the murder on 5 February 2016.
Ms Justice Tara Burns said events such as the Regency cannot be carried out without planning and both men knew a serious crime was occurring involving six men requiring to be individually removed, regardless of whether they knew of murder or not.
Jason Bonney and Paul Murphy were getaway drivers for the Hutch organised crime group on the day the Kinahan gang member David Byrne was shot dead at the Regency Hotel.
Both had been at the gang's "centre of operations" at Buckingham village from where the hit team left on 5 February 2016 to carry out the murder and both collected gunmen after the murder and drove them away.
A 52-year-old former Irish international boxer, senior coach and president of Trinity Boxing Club Jason Bonney paid all his taxes, has no previous convictions and was not on the Garda radar.
Paul Murphy was described in court as operating at the lower end of the scale other people were higher up in the criminal organisation.
The father-of-five has 67 previous convictions mainly for minor offences, was a private in the army for 20 years before working in shops, hotels, pubs and security.
The 61-year-old changed his name from Christopher Ryan to Paul Murphy, became a taximan and bought a car off Eddie Hutch.
The brother of Gerard Hutch became the fifth victim of the feud when he was shot dead at his home in Dublin three days after the Regency murder.
Ms Justice Tara Byrns said the men gave "significant assistance" to the Hutch organised crime group in carrying out the murder because two murderers were carried away from the drop-off point and away from detection.
Bonney and Murphy were part of an operation that involved significant planning and co-ordination.
The six car convoy met at Donaghmede Church car park before driving to St Vincent’s GAA club where they waited for 35 minutes for the gunmen.
Bonney and Murphy’s actions were "not reckless," the judge said, but "intentional, planned and organised behaviour."
Both had been at Buckingham Village, the centre of operations for the hit team that morning - Bonney once, and Murphy twice. This established their connection with the serious operation planned.
A murder took place regardless, the judge said, regardless of whether or not they knew that, they knew a serious crime was planned and both were available to individually remove the hit men from the scene.
The court put the headline sentence for the offence at ten years but taking into account mitigating factors, reduced Bonney’s sentence to eight-and-a-half years and Murphy’s sentence to nine years in prison.
The third defendant in the case, Gerard Hutch, walked free last month after he was found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne.
He is applying to have the State pay his legal fees, estimated to be at least €250,000.
His application is due to be heard in June.
Claim Bonney's father drove jeep a lie, say sisters
Jason Bonney's sisters have said their brother lied to the Special Criminal Court when he tried to claim that their late father William had been driving his jeep on the day David Byrne was murdered at the Regency Hotel.
The claim was corroborated by two defence witnesses Julie McGlynn and Peter Tyrell but was rejected by the Special Criminal Court which said it had been lied to.
Willie and Gretta Bonney’s daughters said in a statement to RTÉ news today that they have been left traumatised and heartbroken over the "malevolent lies" and that those who told and believed them "should hang their heads in shame".
They have also called on the DPP to take action against those who "perjured themselves" in the Special Criminal Court.
The women says they never wanted to have any part in this trial but "were dragged into it by the vicious and deplorable lies that were said in court".
The evidence was rebutted by Paul Byrne, his brother-in-law who is married to one of his sisters, who’s testimony was accepted in full by the court.
Jason Bonney and his two witnesses only came forward with their false claims after his father and mother had died. William Bonney died in 2019, his wife Gretta in 2021.
His sisters also said today the trauma of losing their dad and their mam has had a devastating effect on both of them and "to have to read lies about their parents has made their loss even greater."
They say they get "no comfort from any sentence" but take "some solace and peace in knowing that the three judges could see through all the lies and give back the good name of their parents."
