'Man in charge' Hutch carried out 'brutal and callous execution' and should be convicted of murder, prosecution say

The prosecution has closed its case against Gerard Hutch at the Special Criminal Court, arguing he was one of two gunmen who carried out the fatal shooting of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin on 5 February 2016. Fiona Murphy SC told the three-judge court that covertly recorded conversations between Hutch and former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall demonstrated he held authority over the assault rifles used in the attack and was "the man in charge". The prosecution submitted that Hutch's responses in the audio recordings, including references to "throwing" weapons north, amounted to admissions of involvement rather than denials. Hutch denies murder. His co-accused Paul Murphy and Jason Bonney deny participating in or contributing to the murder by providing vehicle access. The court has heard evidence relating to the movement of vehicles and escape routes following the incident.