Courts / Offaly / Report

Cartel "hit for hire" team get sentences totalling 36.5 years for planned Hutch assassination

Date
2019-07-29
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Belmont
County
Offaly

Summary

Three men – Gary Thompson (34), his brother Glen Thompson (24) and Afghan war veteran Robert Browne (35) – were sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to a combined 36.5 years for planning to murder Patrick "Patsy" Hutch. The court heard that the men were intercepted by Gardaí just 250 metres from Hutch's home in Dublin's north inner city, having been caught "red‑handed" during a Garda operation that involved audio surveillance and the seizure of several loaded firearms. Each brother received 12 years and six months, while Browne was sentenced to 11 years and six months. The sentences were back‑dated to 10 March 2018, the day the men were taken into custody. The judge noted the seriousness of the offence, the extensive preparation, and the men's guilty pleas, which led to a 25 % reduction in the headline 18‑year sentences. The operation was praised for its intelligence and effectiveness.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Cartel "hit for hire" team get sentences totalling 36.5 years for planned Hutch assassination. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Why: The second aspect of the plan was to have "a getaway vehicle" parked at Stoney Road in East Wall in Dublin 3 in order to provide "an escape route". CNI source report

Case subjects

Gary Thompson

Defendant

Outcome: The three-judge court imposed a sentence of 12 years and six months on Glen Thompson. Following this, father-of-four Gary Thompson was jailed for 12 years and six months.

Glen Thompson

Defendant

Outcome: The judge said the headline sentence was 18 years imprisonment for each defendant in this case. The three-judge court imposed a sentence of 12 years and six months on Glen Thompson.

Robert Browne

Defendant

Outcome: The judge said the headline sentence was 18 years imprisonment for each defendant in this case.

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Special Criminal Court
Secondary Mention
Residence
  • Plunkett Drive
  • Phibsboro Road
  • Belmont
Address Area
  • Gardiner Street
  • Champion's Avenue
  • Stoney Road
  • Champions Avenue
Incident
  • North Circular Road
Journey Or Route
Facility
  • Mr Hutch's house
Garda Station
  • conveyed to Store Street Garda station
  • Store Street

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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