TWO men who drove getaway cars for the Regency Hotel murder of Kinahan cartel thug David Byrne have been jailed at the Special Criminal Court.
Paul Murphy, 61, was jailed for nine years, while Jason Bonney, 51, received an eight-and-a-half year sentence.
The men were convicted last month of facilitating Byrne’s murder by providing motor vehicles for the Hutch criminal organisation on February 5, 2016.
Murphy, from Cherry Avenue, Swords, and Bonney, from Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, had both denied the offence but were convicted following a 52-day trial.
Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, 60, from the Paddocks, Clontarf, was found not guilty of Byrne’s murder.
Sentencing the two men, presiding Judge Tara Burns said she was asked to consider the involvement of both men at the lower end of the offending scale.
But she said: “Events such as the Regency cannot be carried out without planning and both men knew a serious crime was occurring involving six men requiring to be individually removed, regardless of whether they knew of murder or not.
“Their involvement was aggravated by the fact that a murder took place, even if they had no knowledge that this was the intended outcome.”
The judge took the men’s personal circumstances into account during sentencing as she considered the headline sentence of 10 years.
She said both men had long histories of employment, as well as children and relationships.
She said: “On this basis I will deduct one year from the headline sentence in respect of Paul Murphy and 18 months in respect of Jason Bonney.”
Hutch walked free from court last month following his high profile acquittal after Ms Justice Burns ruled that State witness Jonathan Dowdall“acted in his own self-interest” by claiming the Monk confessed to him that he was one of the gunmen at the Regency.
Hutch has launched a legal bid to recoup his costs for the trial from the State and that matter is listed to be heard on June 7.
Dowdall was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to facilitating Byrne’s murder by booking a room in the Regency the night before the gun attack.
He has appealed the severity of that sentence and the Court of Criminal Appeal will hear that case on June 20.
CCTV FOOTAGE
During the course of the trial, the State alleged that Paul Murphy was the driver of a light-coloured taxi and Jason Bonney was the driver of black X5 jeep which were part of a convoy of cars which drove in to St Vincent’s GAA club about 2pm on February 5, 2016.
CCTV showed both vehicles in the vicinity of Buckingham Village in the hours before Byrne’s murder and the trial heard that this was where everyone met up before the incident.
CCTV showed Bonney driving the BMW from his home that morning but he said he was working on a house in Newbrook Avenue in Donaghmede and his father William Bonney, who is now deceased, was the driver for the afternoon.
Two defence witnesses, Julie McGlynn and Peter Tyrell, supported these claims but the court rejected this version after hearing Bonney’s brother-in-law tell the court he enjoyed a family lunch with William Bonney and his wife Gretta on that day.
FAMILY STATEMENT
In a statement released to RTE, Jason Bonney’s sisters said: “The daughters of the late William and Gretta Bonney have been left traumatised & heartbroken over the lies that were told in court about both of their parents by both Julie McGlynn and Peter Tyrell and by Jason Bonney.
“Thankfully these lies weren’t accepted by the judges who exonerated both of their parents of any involvement and those who told and believed these malevolent lies should hang their heads in shame.”
The statement added: “They get no comfort from any sentence but take some solace and peace in knowing that the three judges could see through all the lies and give back the good name of their parents.”
