'Doesn't matter a damn' where bug travels once placed lawfully, Regency trial hears

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The Special Criminal Court heard arguments on the admissibility of audio surveillance recordings in the trial of Gerard Hutch, who denies murdering David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in February 2016. Prosecution counsel Sean Gillane SC argued that recordings captured by a garda bugging device placed lawfully on a vehicle within the State remain admissible regardless of where the vehicle subsequently travelled. The defence contends that the surveillance device operated unlawfully under the Criminal Justice Surveillance Act 2009 when the vehicle crossed into Northern Ireland on 7 March 2016. Mr Gillane submitted that once a device is deployed, initiated and retrieved within the jurisdiction, its admissibility is unaffected by the vehicle's subsequent movements. Defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC argued the device operated in contravention of the Act whilst outside the State's territory. Ms Justice Tara Burns will deliver a ruling tomorrow following closing submissions from the defence. The trial continues before three judges.

Source: Courts News Ireland This page is a localnews.ie summary and index entry; the full original report may require a publisher subscription.

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Criminal Justice System - Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions dppireland.ie
A document providing greater detail of the Prosecution Service in Ireland, and the work currently undertaken by the different ‘prosecutors’ within the Irish prosecution...
Regency trial hears 'it doesn't matter a damn' where Garda bugging device travelled to - Irish Mirror Irish Mirror · Mon, 28 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions - Gov.ie gov.ie
Apr 29, 2025 · However, the prosecution is still taken in the name of the DPP, and the DPP has the right to tell the Gardaí how to deal with the case. The Office of the...

Related court reports

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