GERRY ‘The Monk’ Hutch could go head-to-head with Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald for a seat in Dublin Central in the upcoming General Election.
The crime boss, who was last year cleared of the 2016 murder of Kinahan associate David Byrne at the Regency Hotel, has told pals he’s considering a shot at a Dail seat.
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The 61-year-old was found not guilty, despite State supergrass and former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall testifying that Hutch told him he was one of a six-man hit team involved in the gun attack.
And now The Monk could he about to give Sinn Fein another headache after a week where Mary Lou faced a grilling over inappropriate texts sent by former party senator Niall Ó Donnghaile to a teenage boy and a complaint against chair of the Public Accounts Committee, TD Brian Stanley.
Hutch is highly regarded in his north inner city community and, according to reports, could use his Corinthians boxing club as a campaign HQ.
The high-profile, four-seat Dublin Central constituency also includes Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon and Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan.
A source told us: “It’s been a tough week for Sinn Fein but this could make it worse. There’s clearly no love lost between the party and Gerry Hutch after everything that happened at the Regency trial.
“But Gerry has spoken to friends about this and is seriously considering it because he feels he has a lot to offer his local community.
“And he is well-respected and highly thought of, so he would be a threat to the current sitting TDs.”
Minister Donohoe told The Irish Sun yesterday: “I only heard about this last night but I had heard nothing about it across the constituency. I have no comment to make.”
Gannon also declined to comment. But Hourigan said Hutch would come under the same scrutiny as any other public rep, should he run.
She told The Irish Sun: “He’s as entitled to run as anyone. There are no disqualifiers to running for the Dail as long as you are an Irish citizen.
“He does have support in certain parts of the community and if people vote for him, they vote for him. That’s what a democracy is. But he’ll come under the same level of scrutiny as the rest of us.”
No General Election date has yet been set but it will take place before Christmas, with November 29 mentioned as a potential date.
Since Hutch was acquitted in April of last year he has been seen out in his community and attended the homecoming of Olympic champion Kellie Harrington.
Gardai have told family members they understand the feud between his gang and the Kinahan cartel, which claimed the lives of 18 people, to be over.
A NEW PARTY FOR LOU
SINN Fein has slumped to a new low in the polls in another blow to Mary Lou McDonald and Co.
A Sunday Times/Opinions study put the scandal-hit party at 16 per cent support, down two from September and the lowest in nearly five years.
It means Sinn Fein is likely to lose a significant number of seats — apart from two already lost through the resignations of Brian Stanley and Patricia Ryan — in the impending General Election.
Leader Simon Harris’ Fine Gael is still riding high on 24 per cent and the Taoiseach could set a date for the election in the next few days.
Independents are at 22 per cent, up two from September; Fianna Fail is 19 per cent, down one point; the Social Democrats are unchanged at five per cent; and Labour is up one to five per cent.
The Greens are unchanged at four per cent, People Before Profit-Solidarity stay at three per cent and Aontu remain at two points.
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