Regency Hotel murder trial views CCTV from moments after David Byrne’s death

The Regency Hotel murder trial has been viewing CCTV evidence from moments after Kinahan cartel member David Byrne was shot dead, including footage of what the prosecution say is a dissident republican gunman making his escape from the scene.

Garda Michelle Purcell brought the three-judge court through a montage of CCTV footage for a second day, where six people, including a man wearing a wig and a man wearing a flat cap, are seen running down a lane beside St Vincent’s GAA grounds nine minutes after the shooting.

The prosecution told the court it will hear evidence that Kevin Murray, the late dissident republican, was the man wearing the flat cap when Mr Byrne was killed and that he had co-operated with the “tactical team” that raided the hotel that day.

The trial has already heard from PSNI Det Chief Insp John Caldwell, who identified for investigating gardaí an image of a man with a flat cap and carrying a pistol in his right hand as the now deceased Mr Murray.

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Gerard Hutch (59), last of The Paddocks, Clontarf, Dublin 3, denies the murder of Kinahan cartel member Mr Byrne (33) during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel on February 5th, 2016.

Mr Hutch’s two co-accused — Paul Murphy (59), of Cherry Avenue, Swords, Co Dublin and Jason Bonney (50), of Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Dublin 13 have also pleaded not guilty to participating in or contributing to the murder of David Byrne by providing access to motor vehicles on February 5th, 2016.

Mr Byrne, from Crumlin, was shot dead at the hotel in Whitehall, Dublin 9 after five men, three disguised as armed gardaí in tactical clothing and carrying AK-47 assault rifles, stormed the building during the attack, which was hosting a boxing weigh-in at the time.

‘They go off’

It is the prosecution’s case that a silver Ford transit van containing six people left the Regency Hotel after the shooting and drove towards Charlemont Estate, where the vehicle was abandoned and burnt out. The State says the six included a man wearing a wig and dressed as a woman, Kevin Murray who was wearing a flat cap, a driver and three people dressed in tactical Garda clothing. The raiders then made good their escape by using a number of parked vehicles.

Giving evidence on Friday, Garda Purcell continued taking the court through a montage of CCTV footage showing the movements of a black BMW SUV.

At 2pm on February 5th, Garda Purcell said “a number of cars” and the BMW can be seen coming out of a car park at Donnycarney Church and turning left on to the Malahide Road.

At 2.02pm the BMW turns off the Malahide Road into a housing estate called Casino Park, which leads into St Vincent’s GAA Club in Marino. A taxi can be seen travelling in front of the BMW. The BMW reverses and parks up at the GAA grounds at 2.05pm.

In another clip from 2.40pm, the BMW is still parked up in the grounds. Six people including a man in a wig and a man wearing a flat cap can be seen running down a lane. The man in the wig is pulling a large suitcase type bag and the man in the flat cap is carrying a bag.

The man wearing the flat cap goes straight towards the BMW and puts his bag into the back passenger side of the vehicle. He then gets into the front passenger seat and “they go off”, said the garda.

The trial continues on Monday before Ms Justice Tara Burns, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone.