Two jailed for acting as getaway drivers during Dublin hotel murder

David Byrne died after being shot in the 2016 attack at the Regency Hotel

Two men have been given prison terms for acting as getaway drivers for two of the gunmen involved in the murder of David Byrne in Dublin.

Mr Byrne, 33, was shot dead at a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in February 2016.

The killing was part of the Hutch-Kinahan gang feud.

Last month Gerard Hutch, 60, from the Paddocks, Clontarf, was found not guilty of the murder.

Jason Bonney, 52, a builder from Drumnigh Wood, Portmarnock, Dublin, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison on Friday, Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports.

Paul Murphy, 61, a taxi driver from Cherry Avenue, Swords, County Dublin, was jailed for nine years.

Both men were found guilty of helping the Hutch organised crime group commit the murder.

The judge, Ms Justice Tara Burns, said both men knew a serious crime was occurring, regardless of whether they knew of murder or not.

'Hit team'

The court heard both men had been at the gang's "centre of operations" at Buckingham village from where a "hit team" left on 5 February 2016 to carry out the murder and both collected gunmen after the killing and drove them away.

Bonney, a former Irish international boxer, and senior boxing coach, paid all his taxes, has no previous convictions and was not on the radar of gardaí (Irish police), the court heard.

Murphy, a father-of-five, has 67 previous convictions mainly for minor offences, and was a soldier for 20 years before working in shops, hotels, pubs and security.

He changed his name from Christopher Ryan to Paul Murphy, became a taxi driver and bought a car from Eddie Hutch Sr.

Three days after David Byrne's murder, Eddie Hutch Sr, the brother of Gerard Hutch, was shot dead in his Dublin flat.

Ms Justice Tara Burns said Bonney and Murphy gave "significant assistance" to the Hutch Organised Crime Group in carrying out Mr Byrne's murder because two killers were carried away from the drop-off point and away from detection.

Bonney and Murphy were part of an operation that involved significant planning and co-ordination, the court heard.

Six-car convoy

A six-car convoy met at a church car park before driving to a GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) club where they waited for 35 minutes for the gunmen.

Bonney and Murphy’s actions were "not reckless," the judge said, but "intentional, planned and organised behaviour".

Both had been at Buckingham Village, the centre of operations for the "hit team" that morning - Bonney once and Murphy twice.

This established their connection with the serious operation planned.

The judge said they knew a serious crime was planned and both were available to individually remove the hitmen from the scene.

The court put the headline sentence for the offence at 10 years, but taking into account mitigating factors, reduced Bonney’s sentence to eight-and-a-half years and Murphy’s sentence to nine years in prison.

Gerard Hutch is applying to have the state pay his legal fees, estimated to be at least €250,000 (£217,481).

His application is due to be heard in June.

Gerard Hutch was found not guilty last month of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin