Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch and former Sinn Féin councillor, Jonathan Dowdall, have failed in their attempt to have their murder trial heard before a jury.
Both are due to be tried before the non-jury court for their alleged roles in the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016.
Cases involving terrorism and organised crime offences are automatically brought before this court and the DPP can also direct for trials to be heard without a jury in cases where she believes the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administrative of justice.
Gerry Hutch and former SF Councillor Jonathan Dowdall with an address on the Navan Road in Dublin challenged the decision to have their trials heard there, arguing that was supposed to be a temporary court has now become a permanent fixture.
However, the High Court ruled against them today, noting that there’s no mention of the word 'temporary' or any similar limiting word in the proclamation that set up the court almost 50 years ago.
Reporting by Frank Greaney
