Regency accused claims dad was driving his jeep on day of attack

At the Special Criminal Court, the defence case for Jason Bonney, a 52-year-old man from Portmarnock charged with participating in the murder of Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in February 2016, has centred on alternative explanations for key prosecution evidence regarding vehicle involvement. The defence has argued that Bonney's father, not the accused himself, was operating the black BMW X5 jeep that prosecutors allege transported a raider from the scene of the attack. During cross-examination of a garda witness, it emerged that CCTV footage did not show Bonney driving the vehicle south of Newbrook Avenue in the vicinity of the hotel. The defence indicated this gap would form a central plank of the defence case. Two defence witnesses subsequently testified that they observed Bonney's deceased father operating the BMW X5 on the day of the murder. Under cross-examination, prosecutors challenged whether the father had in fact driven the jeep that afternoon. A separate defence witness also gave evidence that Bonney was working north of the hotel approximately fifteen minutes after the attack occurred, positioning him away from the scene. Garda evidence presented during the trial included intelligence analysis of vehicle and individual movements on 5 February 2016, drawing on phone data and CCTV observations. Earlier in proceedings, a garda officer had noted that Bonney's BMW X5, seized in Donaghmede on 20 February, appeared recently valeted with a fresh smell detected inside. Bonney pleads not guilty to participating in or contributing to Byrne's murder by providing access to motor vehicles. His co-accused, Gerard Hutch and Paul Murphy, likewise deny involvement. The Special Criminal Court reserved judgement following 52 days of evidence, with a decision anticipated by mid-April 2023.