The Daily Star Ireland
Thomas ‘Nicky’ McConnell has been found guilty of the murder of Gareth Hutch, nephew of Gerard ‘The Monk’ Hutch, in a planned attack in Dublin eight years ago. This verdict was delivered by the Special Criminal Court.
Presiding over the three-judge, non-jury court, Mr. Justice Alexander Owens stated that the evidence conclusively proved McConnell was the second shooter, alongside Jonathan Keogh. They tracked Mr. Hutch from his residence and fatally shot him. While Keogh’s firearm discharged several bullets at close range, causing fatal injuries, McConnell’s weapon did not fire as its safety catch was on.
Despite McConnell’s gun not firing, the court determined that his involvement in the preparation and execution of the plan demonstrated his intent to participate in the murder alongside Keogh and others.
McConnell showed no reaction to the verdict. Wearing a white shirt and blue tie, he listened as the judge reviewed the evidence that led to his conviction. McConnell, 38, of Sillogue Gardens, Ballymun, Dublin 11, had pleaded not guilty to the murder, which occurred on May 24, 2016, at Avondale House, North Cumberland Street, Dublin 1. He now faces a mandatory life sentence for murder.
In 2018, the Special Criminal Court also found Regina Keogh, Jonathan Keogh, and Thomas Fox guilty of Mr. Hutch’s murder. McConnell’s trial, which began in 2023, faced a 16-month delay due to a judge’s inability to continue and a pending Supreme Court ruling on the admissibility of mobile phone data used as evidence.
The trial revealed that McConnell and Jonathan Keogh used an apartment opposite Hutch’s home as a surveillance point. They followed Hutch when he left his home and shot him. Mary McDonnell, a resident of the surveillance apartment, identified Jonathan Keogh but was uncertain about the second man, despite CCTV footage showing McConnell.
The court relied on mobile phone data linking McConnell to the murder conspirators, CCTV footage tying him to various vehicles used in the plot, and deceptive statements made by McConnell to the police as indicators of his guilt.
