Hutch fails in bid for Regency trial legal costs

Gerard Hutch has failed in his attempt to have the State pay the legal costs following his acquittal for the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin.

Mr Hutch had denied the murder of Mr Byrne on 5 February 2016 and was found not guilty at the Special Criminal Court in April.

He had claimed his prosecution was unwarranted and that he had been vindicated.

However, the State argued that the prosecution was justified for several reasons, including the fact that Mr Hutch was linked to the guns used in the murder.

Mr Hutch walked free from the Special Criminal Court seven weeks ago after he was found not guilty. He then applied to the court to have the State pay his legal bill for the 52-day trial, which is believed to be an undisclosed six-figure sum.

His defence counsel argued today that his prosecution for murder was the wrong decision and that the 60-year-old had been vindicated.

Brendan Grehan said Mr Hutch did not make one single admission as to what happened at the Regency Hotel in ten hours of secret garda recordings of his conversation with prosecution witness Jonathan Dowdall and it would be unfair of the court not to award him costs.

But the prosecution said the State should not have to pay Mr Hutch’s legal bills because the prosecution was justified.

Senior counsel Sean Gillane said that Mr Hutch was associated with the firearms used in the murder in an orchestrated series of events to have these weapons moved.

"He conducted himself in such a way to bring suspicion on himself," Mr Gillane said, and he insisted there had been no unfairness on Mr Hutch.

Mr Hutch was not in court today to hear the three judges rule that he was not entitled to have his legal bills paid.

Ms Justice Tara Burns said his prosecution for murder on the basis of Dowdall's evidence was warranted and the garda investigation did not give rise to any inherent doubt about his guilt.

She also said that Mr Hutch was "the figurehead" and "the patriarchal figure" of the Hutch organised crime group and he had possession of the guns from the Regency, which he knew had been used to murder Mr Byrne.

The judge said it was "a reasonable possibility that nothing was carried out by the Hutch organised crime group without his say so".

The court ruled that it was not unfair to deny him his costs and refused his application.