State tells Regency trial that CCTV footage shows Hutch and Dowdall travelling North together

At the Special Criminal Court on 25 October 2022, prosecutors presented video evidence as part of the ongoing trial of Gerard Hutch, aged 59, charged with the murder of David Byrne, a member of the Kinahan Cartel, during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in Dublin on 5 February 2016. Garda Michelle Purcell testified regarding surveillance footage documenting journeys undertaken by Hutch and former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall to Northern Ireland on 20 February and 7 March 2016, approximately two to four weeks after the fatal shooting. The footage captured movements across County Armagh, including images from a service station, a shopping centre in Newry, and a hotel in Belfast. Of particular significance to the prosecution's case was covertly recorded audio from the 7 March journey, in which the accused allegedly discussed the Regency attack and made references to "three yokes" purportedly given to republicans as a gift. Prosecutors contend these references denote the three AK-47 assault rifles used in the killing. The court also viewed footage showing Shane Rowan, a convicted IRA member imprisoned for possession of those assault rifles, travelling in what the State alleges was the company of Patrick Hutch Senior. Rowan was subsequently intercepted driving a vehicle containing the three rifles and ammunition near Slane, County Meath, on 9 March 2016. Dowdall, who previously pleaded guilty to facilitating the gang, has since become a State witness and is central to the prosecution's narrative. The defence has raised concerns about the investigative methods employed, including questions regarding the potential use of tracking devices on vehicles belonging to Dowdall, with particular concern about whether such surveillance extended into Northern Ireland, where such activity would breach the law. Hutch denies the charge of murder.