Extradited murderer apologises to dissident republican's family

Dean Evans, aged 27 and from Raheny in Dublin, received a mandatory life sentence at the Special Criminal Court on 31 July 2018 following his guilty plea to the murder of Peter Butterly. Mr Butterly, a 35-year-old dissident republican, was fatally shot outside The Huntsman Inn near Gormanstown, County Meath on 6 March 2013. Evans had absconded before his trial was scheduled to commence in January 2017. He was subsequently apprehended in Spain in April 2018 and returned to Ireland to face prosecution. Upon sentencing, he expressed remorse for his actions through his legal representatives and apologised to the Butterly family for the suffering caused by the killing. The victim's widow delivered an impact statement to the court outlining the profound trauma inflicted on the family and their three children as a result of the murder. Detective Sergeant Liam Archbold provided evidence detailing how gardaí monitored a silver Toyota vehicle and arrested Evans at the scene immediately following the shooting. Evans was the third person to receive a life sentence in connection with the killing. Two other men, Edward McGrath and Sharif Kelly, had previously been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the incident. A fourth man, Kevin Braney, was later convicted of organising and planning the murder. Three additional suspects remained scheduled for trial on murder charges relating to the case, with proceedings continuing before the three-judge court. The case attracted significant attention due to the circumstances surrounding the victim, who had received multiple death threats before his death and had withdrawn from republican activity in the period preceding the incident.