Man who feared blame for Hutch murder engineered arrest

A man who presented himself to gardaí after the murder of Gareth Hutch did so because he feared he would be shot dead when people saw detectives searching his house after the killing.

The Irish Times understands the man has claimed he was not involved in the murder but effectively engineered his arrest for questioning to avoid being attacked in revenge.

The man is from the north inner city and his home was searched on Tuesday after Hutch (35), a father of one, was shot dead in the locality.

“It appears he was afraid people would see the search and put two and two together and decide he was involved in the murder,” said one source.

The same officer said the man’s decision to present himself to the Garda was also intended as a sign to those linked to the Hutch family that he was in no way involved.

“He seems to be operating along the lines that if you shot somebody dead you’d hardly be walking into a Garda station and so when he was released people would know he wasn’t involved.”

Gardaí believe they know the identity of the two killers and both have been implicated in past killings and in other Kinahan-Hutch feud activity.

Escape

CCTV of the killing has proven invaluable as the two men who carried out the murder effectively botched their escape and were forced to abandon their intended getaway vehicle, a black BMW car.

It meant they were forced to run from the immediate vicinity of the killing and gardaí believe CCTV footage of them during that portion of their escape will be crucial in identifying them.

Meanwhile, the emergence publicly of CCTV footage of the murder has resulted in an internal Garda inquiry.

The footage, which has been carried online and in still image format in newspapers, shows two hooded gunmen running up behind their victim as he was getting into his car at the Avondale House flats complex on North Cumberland Street, Dublin 1.

Mr Hutch does not appear to notice the men approaching from behind and continues taking off his jacket and placing it into the car just before he is about to sit in the driver’s seat.

Video

The video was widely circulating on social media less than 12 hours after the murder which took place just before 10am on Tuesday.

It appears to be a clip recorded on a mobile phone of the CCTV footage being shown on a computer screen.

The Garda inquiry is trying to establish the source of the video and whether a Garda member was responsible.

Meanwhile, Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan briefed Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald last night at Government Buildings on Garda efforts to tackle the Kinahan-Hutch feud, which has claimed seven lives.

In the Dáil, Ms Fitzgerald described the latest killing as “yet more bloodshed in a gang feud that is being carried out with unprecedented ruthlessness”.

She said the Government was fully committed to backing the Garda in its fight against gangs.

“Whatever resources are needed and however long it takes the activities of these gangs and others will be confronted head on.

"I want to express my full support for An Garda Síochána at every level for the work they are doing to confront these gangs, and for meeting the daily concerns of ordinary people in trying to keep them safe."