AK-47s found just a month after Regency shooting, Hutch murder trial hears

A Special Criminal Court in Dublin heard evidence on 20 October 2022 regarding three AK-47 assault rifles recovered in County Meath approximately one month after David Byrne was fatally shot at the Regency Hotel in Dublin on 5 February 2016. Inspector Padraig Boyce testified that a vehicle was intercepted near Slane on 9 March 2016 and the weapons were discovered in its boot, wrapped in a rug and white shirts. Ballistics evidence later matched cartridge cases recovered from the Regency Hotel to the seized rifles. The trial concerns Gerard Hutch, aged 59, from Clontarf, Dublin, who denies murdering Mr Byrne during a boxing weigh-in. Two co-accused, Paul Murphy and Jason Bonney, deny participating in or contributing to the murder by providing vehicle access. Detective gardaí provided CCTV evidence tracing movements of vehicles on the day of the incident. The trial, presided over by Ms Justice Tara Burns with two other judges, is expected to continue for approximately 12 weeks.