Monday is “D Day” for State witness Jonathan Dowdall who will finally take the stand in perhaps the most crucial week of the Hutch trial.
A massive Garda security operation will be in place as the former Sinn Fein councillor will be brought via armed escort to the Special Criminal Court to give evidence. Dowdall, who is serving a four-year sentence in isolation at Limerick Prison for facilitating the murder of David Byrne, will be brought out of the facility and escorted to the Criminal Courts of Justice for the 11am hearing.
The convicted torturer, who is set to give evidence in the trial of Gerry Hutch, accused of the murder of Byrne, is considered to be a major target and his safety, and the safety of those around him are of massive concern to the authorities.
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Such are the logistics of bringing the high-profile witness to court, that a decision has been made to move the case to another courtroom. It is understood it has been moved there to allow Dowdall to possibly be brought in through the entrance typically reserved for a jury.
There has been a massive public interest in the case to date but authorities are expecting a huge influx of people arriving at the courts building to catch a glimpse of the proceedings on Monday – causing further logistical and security concerns.
On Friday the non-jury court gave the go-ahead for Dowdall to attend on Monday despite the status of his Witness Protection Programme application remaining unknown.
The court was told that a decision would not be made on that until the middle of January next year.
Hutch, 59, last of The Paddocks, Clontarf, Dublin, denies the murder of Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne, 33, during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel on February 5, 2016.
His two co-accused – Paul Murphy, 61, of Cherry Avenue, Swords, Co Dublin and Jason Bonney, 50, of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Dublin – have pleaded not guilty to participating in or contributing to the murder of Byrne by providing access to motor vehicles on February 5, 2016.
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