Two getaway drivers jailed for role in Regency Hotel murder

Two men who acted as getaway drivers have been sentenced at the Special Criminal Court for their role in facilitating the high-profile murder of David Byrne at a Dublin hotel seven years ago.

Mr Byrne, 33, was shot six times at a crowded boxing weigh-in event at the Regency Hotel on February 5 2016 in one of the first deadly attacks of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud.

Paul Murphy, 62, of Cherry Avenue, Swords, was sentenced to nine years in prison for providing a motor vehicle to a criminal organisation with the knowledge of or having been reckless as to whether those actions could facilitate a serious offence, namely the murder of Mr Byrne.

In the judgment last month, Ms Justice Burns said the court was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Murphy’s Toyota Avensis took one of the hitmen from the grounds of St Vincent’s GAA club after the Regency attack.

Jason Bonney, 52, of Drumnigh Wood in Portmarnock, was sentenced to eight and a half years for providing a motor vehicle to a criminal organisation with knowledge of or having been reckless as to whether those actions could facilitate a serious offence.

Ms Justice Burns said the court was satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that he was the sole driver of a black BMW X5 seen in CCTV footage shown in court and that he was at the “centre of the operations” of the attack.

She said Bonney “knowingly provided access” to his vehicle at St Vincent’s GAA club, where nearby CCTV footage showed the six-man hit team walking shortly after the murder.

The Regency attack was described by the court as a “meticulously planned high-velocity assassination” which left one man dead and two injured.

It “sparked mayhem on the streets of Dublin” and resulted in a “series of callous murders”, the court heard.

In sentencing, Ms Justice Burns found Bonney and Murphy provided significant assistance to the Hutch gang by acting as getaway drivers.

She said they were part of an operation that required “significant planning and coordination” and “intentional assistance was provided to the Hutch criminal organisation”.

The judge added that the two men had interaction with “the centre of operations” of the attack and that even if they did not know exactly what was planned, they knew a serious criminal offence was taking place which required the six men to be removed from the scene.

She said their participation fell “within the upper range of seriousness for offences of this nature” and carried a headline sentence of 10 years, but considered mitigating factors and the personal circumstances of both men.

She said Bonney was married with two children and had a foster child he treated as his own.

He was of previous good character with no convictions and had been a “hard-working man… his whole life”.

The court had received many references which spoke highly of him.

She noted he was taking medication for a significant cardiac issue.

Ms Justice Burns said Murphy’s relationship with his wife ended after the events of the Regency attack but he was in another relationship, and has five children.

She noted his long history as a taxi driver in Dublin.

There was a dispute over his number of previous convictions but she said the court was not particularly concerned about the exact number.

Their co-accused, Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, was previously found not guilty of the murder of Mr Byrne.