Gerard Hutch ordered to pay half of State’s costs after Supreme Court appeal

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Gerard Hutch was ordered to pay half the State and Oireachtas respondents’ costs of a Supreme Court appeal over the lawfulness of his and Jonathan Dowdall’s Special Criminal Court trials. The proceedings were reported on 14 November 2022.

The five-judge court made the costs order after the men lost their civil appeal. In July 2022, the Supreme Court found that the Special Criminal Court had full jurisdiction to try them. The High Court had earlier dismissed their proceedings, and the Supreme Court did not interfere with its costs decision.

The judges said the men had a significant personal interest in bringing the proceedings and appeal. They did not consider it appropriate to impose all the appeal costs on Hutch because the State had not sought costs against Dowdall, who had legal aid. The order did not extend to costs connected with an application by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to participate in the appeal as a friend of the court.

Hutch’s trial was underway when the costs ruling was reported. He denied murdering David Byrne at the Regency Hotel on 5 February 2016.

Dowdall had faced a murder charge when he challenged the lawfulness of a Special Criminal Court trial. He pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder. He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment after agreeing to give evidence against Hutch, his former co-accused.