A CONVICTED Dublin criminal, nicknamed "The Monk", has spoken publicly to categorically deny his involvement in two of the State's biggest robberies.
Gerry Hutch was one of the first people to make a substantial settlement with the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab), but said he made his money from compensation claims and subsequently invested funds in the housing market.
"I done a lot of business in property, it was a good time and that's where I made me money. If people say armed robberies, so be it. I mean, I was questioned about these armed robberies . . . we'll let them decide - the people."
Mr Hutch made his remarks on RTÉ's Prime Time programme last night and repeated his claims that he had no connection to the Marino Mart and Clonshaugh raids in the 1990s. He said his settlement with the Cab related to "tax evasion".
It has been reported that Mr Hutch had originally wanted to appear on The Late Late Show to address comments made about him in a television series on TV3.
When asked about the robbery in Clonshaugh, Mr Hutch replied: "Yeah, I know all about it. I've been arrested, questioned about it, been writ about. I've read all about it in the newspapers. That's what I know about it and anytime it's writ about my photograph is thrown in." In a confrontational interview with RTÉ's crime correspondent, Paul Reynolds, Mr Hutch consistently denied he was involved in the high-profile robbery.
"I'm beginning to believe I done it meself from reading it in the paper. When you read these things every week after week, there must be no smoke without fire. It looks that way, it sounds that way. If it barks it's a dog. I didn't do the robbery, you know."
Mr Hutch also said he came from a poor background and there "was nothing around" as a boy. "I mean first up, best dressed. Yeah, I had no choice. You had to get into crime to feed yourself, never mind dress yourself." He was sent to prison at 15 and said it was like "going to college for criminals".
"I have a kid now of 15 and I look at the kid and I say 'my God, when I was 15, I was in prison'. I mean, I was in prison with murderers, rapists, bank robbers, everything. I'll agree I done wrong but I think the severity of being put into Mountjoy Prison at that age, it was like going to college for criminals."
He also agreed that he was a man of influence in his community and may be feared in some quarters. "Probably so. I mean, a guy came up to me one day, a councillor, one of the local councillors and he said 'there's a guy there and he's owed 10 grand for drugs and the drug-dealer is giving him a terrible time and he's telling him that he's going to get you to sort it'. I said, 'well tell him that the kid gave me the money', and that's the end of that."