Jonathan Dowdall says he was set up in David Byrne murder case

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

Jonathan Dowdall told the Special Criminal Court that he had been set up in the murder case against him over David Byrne’s killing. The proceedings were reported on 14 December 2022.

The former Sinn Féin councillor said a hotel room used by one of the gunmen had been tied to him and his family, although he did not know who was meant to stay there. He said Gerard Hutch put pressure on him after he was granted bail, including demands that he make himself available to Hutch’s solicitor.

Dowdall had been charged with Byrne’s murder. He pleaded guilty before the trial to a lesser charge of facilitating the murder by making a hotel room available to the criminal organisation or its members on 4 February 2016. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Following his sentence on 3 October, a decision not to proceed was entered on the murder charge.

His father, Patrick Dowdall, also pleaded guilty to the facilitation charge and was jailed for two years.

Gerard Hutch pleaded not guilty to murdering Byrne at the Regency Hotel on 5 February 2016. Dowdall testified that Hutch had collected the hotel room key cards and later admitted involvement in the shooting. Hutch’s barrister Brendan Grehan said the defence contended that both accounts were lies. Dowdall agreed that the evidence of the card collection and alleged confession rested on his account alone.

The defence had also submitted that there was a “quid pro quo” between the dropping of Dowdall’s murder charge and his providing a statement and giving evidence. Dowdall said he wanted the charge dropped because he was not involved in the murder and wanted to tell the truth.

Co-accused Paul Murphy and Jason Bonney pleaded not guilty to participating in or contributing to Byrne’s murder by providing access to motor vehicles on 5 February 2016. The trial was continuing before presiding judge Justice Tara Burns, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone.