Surrounded by around 40 reporters and photographers, Gerry Hutch strolled out the front doors of the Criminal Courts of Justice, a free man.
Just around 20 minutes beforehand The Monk had remained stoney-eyed as Ms Justice Tara Burns delivered a not guilty verdict. At the time, he was sitting alongside Paul Murphy and Jason Bonney – who had been convicted of assisting the Hutch gang in carrying out the Regency Hotel hit.
For the previous 52 days of his trial, Hutch had been brought in and out of court from Wheatfield Prison. But on this 53rd and final occasion, rather than being flanked into the precincts with prison officers, he got to walk out the front door of the court like every other person who was in there to observe the judgement.
Read more: Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch found not guilty of murder of David Byrne at Regency Hotel
In the meantime, journalists scrambled down to get outside the building. At the bottom of the stairs from the second floor to the ground floor, a number of armed gardai were standing there.
After his nephew, Patrick Hutch Jnr, was previously acquitted of the charge his uncle faced, he was collected out the side gate of the CCJ on a bike. But The Monk – unfazed by the huge awaiting media mob outside court – walked out the front door.
He didn’t say anything – nor did he need to. This was his statement. He strolled around to the left of the building as journalists shouted questions as a member of his legal team attempted to flag down a taxi.
Gardai, uniformed and members of the Armed Support Unit, shouted to get off the road as they followed the entourage too. Traffic had stopped at times, some pulling down their windows to celebrate with one shouting: “Go on Gerry.” Another teenage student walking home from his day at secondary school remarked: “What a route to pick to walk home from school.” A random man had also taken it upon himself to put his arm around Hutch and tell the media to “leave him alone” and to “let him grieve in peace”.
But questions kept being fielded. When asked about his legal team, Hutch didn’t respond but he did break out in a wry smile for a moment, the only reaction seen from him all day.
Eventually Hutch got into a silver taxi which did a U-turn and drove away. Hutch’s arrival, presence and departure at the Criminal Courts every day of his trial required heavily armed gardai. Yet, here he was walking on the streets.
As the morning kicked off, there was a D-Day feel about it. From just before 10am, the large presence of both gardai and media were outside. Minutes later, he arrived in a prison van travelling in convoy with an unmarked garda jeep in front and another car behind.
The demand from the public to get a gawk was such that the courts service had to open an overflow room. Inside courtroom 11, senior gardai had taken a seat and directly behind them, murder victim Byrne’s mum Sadie and other relatives had sat down. Murphy and Bonney, both on bail, had sat in the dock on the left of the room before it was all eyes on
The Monk when he emerged from the side door. Throughout his trial, Hutch had been clean shaven but he had grown a big bushy grey beard while his hair was also noticeably longer. But he looked strained, pale and had bags under his eyes.
Hutch took his place nearest to the front of the court, with Murphy in the middle and Bonney next to him – the same way all three have been placed throughout the trial. Hutch then put on the headphones provided by the court due to his ailing hearing.
Presiding Judge Ms Justice Tara Burns began delivering her judgment as journalists typed furiously. At times, Sadie Byrne’s oxygen apparatus could clearly be heard pumping from the back right hand side of the court.
At all times, Murphy kept his head turned to the left at the judges while both Bonney and Hutch would at times scan around the room. Hutch adjusted his position throughout the day, not having a cushion on the solid wood benches like he previously had.
Read more: Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch receives hundreds of 'good luck' cards ahead of verdict
But as it became clear Murphy was about to be found guilty, Hutch stared down with an intense look on his face. Murphy himself didn’t react when he was then found guilty of driving a member of the hit team away from St Vincent’s GAA ground in his taxi following the attack.
He just kept glaring up at the judges like he had done all day. Bonney’s case was next to be dealt with and as the judge tore apart and slammed his alibi where he attempted to implicate his dead father, he just gazed straight ahead.
He too was found guilty of driving Kevin “Flat Cap” Murray away from the same grounds. Next was a break for lunch at 1pm for 45 minutes. As the Byrne clan emerged from court, they were all smiles and settled down for lunch in the building’s canteen as Sadie had some soup.
After the break, Hutch’s judgment began to be delivered. Bit by bit, and as the presiding judge made reference to State witness and former Sinn Fein Councillor Jonathan Dowdall, Hutch became more fidgety.
At times he took notes, or picked at his blazer or looked over at his defence barrister Brendan Grehan. Then the bombshell moment finally came that Hutch was found not guilty of the murder.
Hutch didn’t react, but the Byrne family did and stormed out of the courtroom. Just minutes before Hutch emerged from the building following his aquittal, the Byrne family walked out with umbrellas to cover themselves.
As the media asked questions, they said they had nothing to say before poking their brollies at photographers. The smiles from lunchtime had vanished.
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