Fugitive Gerry “The Monk” Hutch has grown a beard and a mop of long hair – in a desperate bid to hide his identity.
The Irish Daily Star has learned that Hutch – now wanted by the Irish courts over the 2016 murder of Kinahan associate David Byrne – was spotted in one of his European boltholes in the last two weeks, and has completely changed his appearance.
Hutch, 57, always had a reputation for being well groomed and clean shaven and wore his hair short – but he has now completely changed his appearance.
A source told The Star that the Dubliner – who is also the top target for the drugs and murder gang led by Irish mobster Daniel Kinahan, 43 – now has a flowing grey beard and hair down to his shoulders.
“You could pass him in the street and not know him unless you looked closely,” the source said.
“He has this flowing grey beard, not a short one but quite long and thick.
“And he also has grown his hair. It’s down almost to his shoulders and it is now all grey, too.”
The Monk had started to grow his hair long just before the Kinahan-Hutch feud erupted in early 2016 with the attack on the Regency Airport Hotel in which David Byrne, 34, was murdered.
He was seen at the funeral at his brother Eddie, 58, gunned down in revenge by the Kinahans on February 8, three days after the Regency attack, with his hair longer than usual.
But sources have now told The Star he has grown his hair even longer – and it is almost completely grey.
He has added to his disguise by growing a thick grey beard – something that makes him look almost unrecognisable.
The source said the Monk has had the new appearance for several months.
Sources said he changed his appearance to try and stay one step ahead of gardai hunting him over the murder - but also in a bid to outfox the Kinahan gang, who are desperate to kill him because they blame the veteran criminal for the Regency attack.
News of his disguise comes as Gardai have secured a European Arrest Warrant that allows cops in any EU member state to detain the Dubliner – and then send him back to his native city for prosecution.
As The Star revealed yesterday, gardai were aware he was in one European location and were planning to move against him within days – but he got spooked and fled his bolthole.
He is now moving between Spain, Belgium, Holland and Turkey and is officially a wanted man.
Gardai from Ballymun station who are investigating the daring Regency attack completed their file on Hutch late last year and sent to the DPP, with a request that he be charged with murder.
They alleged that the Monk was part of the 12-strong gang involved in the killing, which was an attempt by the Hutch outfit to murder Kinahan over his gang’s murder of the Monk’s nephew Gary, 34, in Spain the previous September.
The Hutch gang also wanted to hit back at the Kinahans’ botched attempt to murder the Monk himself in Lanzarote on January 1, 2016.
Sources say gardai are confident there is enough evidence for the Monk to be convicted in the Irish courts.
That included a bugged 10 hour round trip from Dublin to Derry in a van shortly after the Regency that the Monk took with a close associate.
Gardai had broken into the van under a special warrant and placed a secret listening device – and were able to hear the two men’s conversation.
Gardai said in their file to the DPP that the contents of the transcript showed the Monk had knowledge of the attack. It’s also believed gardai have CCTV and phone evidence against Mr Hutch.
The DPP has now directed his charge over murder and the courts have issued the European Arrest Warrant against him.
Once he is arrested abroad, he will be sent back to Dublin for a trial in front of the non-jury Special Criminal Court.
That is hat same court where his nephew Patrick, 27, went on trial for the Byrne murder in 2018.
But the case against Patrick Hutch was dropped in 2019 after the sudden death in Ballymun station of lead investigator Detective Superintendent Colm Fox.
But despite that setback, gardai kept the investigation open and are now set to charge the Monk with murder – once he is found.
If convicted he faces life in prison.
News of the case against the Monk came hours before three other men appeared in the Special Criminal Court on Tuesday night charged over the Byrne murder.
Patrick Dowdall, 64, with an address at Navan Road, Cabra, Dublin 7, Paul Murphy, 59, of Cherry Avenue, Swords, Co Dublin and Jason Bonney, 50, of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Dublin 13 were each arrested on Tuesday and brought before the three-judge court that evening.
Mr Murphy and Mr Bonney are both charged with participating in or contributing to activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation or any of its members, to wit the murder of David Byrne, by providing access to individual motor vehicles to that criminal organisation or its members, within the State on February 5, 2016.
Mr Dowdall is accused of participating in or contributing to activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by a criminal organisation or any of its members, to wit the murder of David Byrne, by making a room available at the Regency Hotel, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 for that criminal organisation or its members, within the State on February 4, 2016.
