Jonathan Dowdall

David Byrne was murdered during a boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel, Dublin in 2016.

The room was secured using a credit card belonging to a member of the Dowdall family. “He will have to live in exile permanently. For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away. The non-jury court heard details of how a room was booked in the Regency Hotel a day before the murder. More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.

A former Sinn Féin Councillor is willing to testify in the forthcoming trial of others in connection with the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel ...

His son Jonathan Dowdall handed the key card over to a member of an organised crime group. He said that Jonathan Dowdall would pay and would be reimbursed which was indicative of the type of relationship. The court was also told today that Jonathan Dowdall indicated last November that he wanted to speak to the gardaí and was willing to talk about the Regency Hotel. He also said that Jonathan Dowdall’s mother "borrowed money for stock" from the Hutch family but had encountered "ongoing problems and was unable to pay". The Special Criminal Court was told today that Jonathan Dowdall is "sincere and genuine" in his willingness to co-operate and is "of value to the prosecution" and "has implicated other persons". The court was told that Patrick Dowdall booked a room in his own name at the hotel the day before the murder and paid in cash.

A former Sinn Fein councillor handed over hotel room key cards to a criminal who went on to take part in the gangland murder of David Byrne, a court heard.

Gerard “The Monk” Hutch (58) of The Paddocks, Clontarf, Dublin is charged with murdering David Byrne. The court has also heard Jonathan Dowdall will now be available to act as a witness for the prosecution in the forthcoming trial of Gerard "The Monk" Hutch and two other men charged over the Regency shooting. Their lawyers told a sentence hearing today the pair had not been aware how the room was to be used, Patrick Dowdall made a "catastrophic error of judgement" and his son was the "author of his own misfortune."

Former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall is being assessed for the Witness Protection Program after giving a statement to gardai that implicates ...

When questioned by gardai Patrick Dowdall said that he had cancelled the room and not used it but CCTV from the hotel showed him arriving on the 4th and receiving two key cards from reception. Dowdall was in court for a sentencing hearing this morning (MON) alongside his father Patrick Dowdall, who also pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of David Byrne. The detective added that Dowdall did not benefit from the activities of the Hutch crime gang.

The 44-year-old has now agreed to give evidence against his former co-accused in the case, including Gerry Hutch, the alleged figurehead in the Hutch criminal ...

A new charge of assisting a criminal organisation was put to the accused and the murder charge was dropped. The court heard Jonathan asked about the witness protection programme following his arrest on suspicion of Mr Byrne’s murder in April last year. He was released from his previous sentence in April this year after which he was interviewed by gardaí. However he entered a guilty plea last week to the lesser charge of facilitating the crime. After hearing a summary of the evidence, the three-judge panel led by Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned final sentencing to October 17th. The court heard he first indicated his willingness to co-operate with garda immediately after his arrest last year.

Det Sgt O'Toole confirmed that following his arrest in relation to the Byrne murder, Dowdall said he wanted to speak to someone about the Witness Protection ...

That charge is now expected to be withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions. He then went with Jonathan Dowdall and gave the key cards to a man who was a known member of the Hutch criminal organisation. When questioned by gardai Patrick Dowdall said that he had cancelled the room and not used it but CCTV from the hotel showed him arriving on the 4th and receiving two key cards from reception. Det Sgt O'Toole said that the Dowdall family is now in protective garda custody, which has been a "significant shock". The detective added that Dowdall did not benefit from the activities of the Hutch crime gang. Dowdall was in court for a sentencing hearing this morning (MON) alongside his father Patrick Dowdall, who also pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of David Byrne.

Jonathan Dowdall (44) was involved in delivering keys after his father Patrick Dowdall (65) booked a room at Dublin's Regency Hotel the day before David ...

He further agreed that while Dowdall has known the Hutch family since he was a teenager and occasionally borrowed money from them, he is not a member of any criminal organisation. There was a phone call about the Regency booking from a person not before the court and what Patrick Dowdall did was a “catastrophic error of judgment,” Mr Bowman said. There was a history of members of the Dowdall family facilitating requests to book events for personal family friends, Mr Bowman said. Mr O’Higgins asked the court to take account of the “material assistance” Jonathan Dowdall was providing the investigation with. Jonathan Dowdall “did not have knowledge of the purpose for which the room was to be used,” Mr O’Higgins said. Det Sgt O’Toole agreed with Mr O’Higgins there was “one theory” that his presence was to “misdirect” the investigation to the North and that Jonathan Dowdall was “used in that regard”. A person not before the court had made the request of the Dowdalls to book the room and Jonathan Dowdall had driven his father to the hotel. Jonathan Dowdall had at one point borrowed €20,000 from the Hutch family and this and other loans meant he was “somewhat compromised,” Mr O’Higgins said. On a later date, Jonathan Dowdall met the person to whom the keys had been given and travelled to Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, the men in the flat cap and wig had left the hotel, done a “loop” and re-entered. The court heard a weigh-in was taking place at the Regency on the afternoon of February 5, 2016, in advance of a boxing event billed as the “clash of the clans” due to be held the following day. The court has also heard Jonathan Dowdall will now be available to act as a witness for the prosecution in the forthcoming trial of Gerard "The Monk" Hutch and two other men charged over the Regency shooting.

A former Sinn Féin councillor is willing to testify in the forthcoming trial of others in connection with the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel ...

The following month Jonathan Dowdall met another man and travelled to Northern Ireland but the court heard the vehicle was under surveillance and the conversations between the two men were recorded. The two men admitted helping a criminal gang to murder Kinahan gang member David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in February 2016 and Jonathan, the court heard today, has implicated others and is willing to testify in a forthcoming trial. The Special Criminal Court was told today that Jonathan Dowdall is "sincere and genuine" in his willingness to co-operate with the prosecution and "has implicated other persons."

A former Sinn Fein councillor handed over hotel room key cards to a criminal who went on to take part in the gangland murder of David Byrne, a court heard.

Jonathan Dowdall “did not have knowledge of the purpose for which the room was to be used,” Mr O’Higgins said. Jonathan Dowdall had at one point borrowed €20,000 from the Hutch family and this and other loans meant he was “somewhat compromised,” Mr O’Higgins said. Their vehicle had been subject of a surveillance operation and their conversation was recorded. It was clear all five were acting together and they returned to the van, where a driver had remained. He had been able to crawl toward the desk, where a man was taking cover on the other side. It was clear that “particular people were being looked for” by the attackers and a search was being conducted, Det Sgt O’Toole said. On CCTV, he clearly had a key card and entered. CCTV footage on February 4 showed him entering the hotel at 7.20pm, paying for the room in cash and filling out the registration details before getting two key cards. A large group of people including boxers, trainers, managers, members of the public and families with children were present. was widely publicised and the attendance of people associated with a particular gym would have been anticipated. This pair were armed with handguns and a number of shots were discharged, causing panic, Mr Gillane said. Gerard “The Monk” Hutch (58) of The Paddocks, Clontarf, Dublin is charged with murdering David Byrne.

Last week, Dowdall and his father pleaded guilty to facilitating the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in 2016.

Former Sinn Féin councillor faces 'grim' future in witness protection defence counsel tells CCJ.

Close associates of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch are suspected of using social media accounts in a “blatant attempt” to intimidate Jonathan Dowdall and his ...

The same accounts launched libellous attacks on named gardaí shortly after it is believed Hutch was tipped off that he was about to be arrested on foot of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW). In April of last year the same Twitter accounts went into overdrive as vile and false personalised attacks were made on senior officers in charge of the Regency investigation. The gangster went into hiding but was arrested by Spanish police four months later and then extradited back to Ireland. A tweet from another account read: “Where ya gonna run Jonboy it’s not the 90s or early 00s era like we grew up in as teenagers or young adults we are in the 4k HDR age... A person in WPP (witness protection programme) & located to another country doesn’t get 24hr protection from their new country’s police forces and are left to fend for themselves. Something to think about if planning to enter WPP nowadays.”

Jonathan Dowdall and his family in protective Garda custody after he agreed to give evidence relating to the Regency Hotel shooting.

Michael O’Higgins SC, Jonathan Dowdall’s barrister, said his client’s agreement to testify is “hard currency” and that his life will never be the same again. The married father-of-four first indicated he was willing to turn State’s witness last year. However, anyone who tries to determine his whereabouts or his new identity may face prosecution under the Criminal Justice Act 1999.