Episode 124: Two years after the Encrochat hack - how many of gangland's big players have been brought to justice?

THE takedown of Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh can be directly linked to a decrease in the gangland murder rate in Ireland, the country's most-senior officer fighting organised crime has said.In a documentary to be shown on Virgin Media on Wednesday night, Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland says Kavanagh was the most significant conviction in his 33 year career.Nicola Tallant chats with crime correspondent Stephen Breen about the Dublin criminal who rose to become the second most important figure in the Kinahan Cartel and who ruled through fear and murder for decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Joulu 202229min

THE Special Criminal Court watched two faces of State witness Jonathan Dowdall during his fifth day under cross examination, as tapes of his arrest were played and he was asked to comment on the lies he told gardai back in 2016.The complexity of Dowdall's character played out on the video recordings and in the answers he gave from the witness box, where he has said Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch told him he shot David Byrne.Today, Nicola Tallant chats with Niall Donald after another dramatic week at the Regency Trial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Joulu 202246min

Jonathan Dowdall watched from the witness box at the Special Criminal Court at videos of his arrest from 2016 on firearms offences, where he told gardai that Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch never told him anything about the Regency Hotel.Dowdall was also played tapes where he says Hutch is 'very private' and not a friend of his and reveals that 'The Monk' wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell him even if he was involvedToday Nicola Tallant and Niall Donald discuss Day 4 of the gruelling cross examination of the former Sinn Fein councillor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Joulu 202242min

Jonathan Dowdall said he wanted to make stories more "beefy" for Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch and was only trying to impress him with tales of bomb making, ordering a shootout at his Uncle Jimmy's home and pointing out possible kidnap opportunities on their doomed trip north.Dowdall also told the Special Criminal Court that he was disgusted with himself on the bugged conversations recorded by gardai, saying that none of what he said was true, that he talked too much, and when there were uncomfortable silences he filled it with bravado and pub talk.Nicola Tallant chats with Niall Donald and discusses the Regency Hotel murder Trial and what the witness will say next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Joulu 202259min

Jonathan Dowdall told the Special Criminal Court that Patsy Hutch’s sons, Gary and Patrick Junior, started the Kinahan-Hutch feud when they attempted to steal €4.6 million in cash from the home of Daniel Kinahan in Spain.The pair had planned, he claimed, to shoot the mob boss but botched the operation and shot innocent boxer Jamie Moore instead, kicking off the feud.In a dramatic second day of his evidence at the Regency trial, Dowdall further claimed that the Regency hit team were all family and friends of The Monk, naming all but one of the six involved.Nicola Tallant talks with Niall Donald about Dowdall's claims that he learned to waterboard a man from watching TV, took a bag with him to fix a plug when he brought Gerry Hutch to meet members of the New IRA in Donegal and his complaints about prison conditions where he says he is known as 'Dowdall the Rat'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Joulu 202254min

Jonathan Dowdall finally stepped into the witness box on day 30 of the Regency Hotel trial, where Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch stands accused of murdering David Byrne.In evidence, he sensationally claimed that Cartel boss Daniel Kinahan "personally shot Patrick Hutch Jnr" in a pre-arranged punishment attack and that 'The Monk' told him that he and James 'Mago' Gately had murdered ByrneToday Nicola Tallant talks with Niall Donald about Dowdall on the stand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Joulu 202233min

STATE Witness Jonathan Dowdall will appear in the Special Criminal Court on Monday, but before he gives evidence a senior Garda officer from the Crime and Security Unit will tell him that his performance in the box won’t necessarily secure him a place on the Witness Protection Programme.In another extraordinary day at the Regency Hotel trial where Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch denies murdering David Byrne, the court heard that Dowdall has not yet been accepted on the Programme and is still being assessed for his suitability.Prosecution barrister, Sean Gillane SC, told Justices Tara Burns, Sarah Berkeley and Grainne Malone that reports from external agencies are required and that it usually takes six months for the process to be completed.The Judge said she did not accept that as she had worked in trials where it was done far quicker.So, how will Dowdall feel when he finally swears to tell the truth to the court? Today, Nicola Tallant talks with Niall Donald about witness protection, a flabbergasted judge and the much-anticipated arrival of former Sinn Fein Councillor Jonathan Dowdall into the witness stand at the high-profile trial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Joulu 202234min

FORMER Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall has agreed to give evidence against Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch at the Special Criminal Court - but a Judge has demanded to know his status on the Witness Protection Programme.Justice Tara Burns, who is presiding over the Regency Hotel murder trial, said she was unhappy with a note she was given relating to Dowdall's position and has ordered the matter to be cleared up immediately.The Witness Protection Programme falls under the remit of the Garda’s Crime and Security wing, headed up by Assistant Commissioner Orla McPartlin.The senior officer has already appeared before the three-judge panel, when called to explain why gardai chose to destroy data relating to a tracking device.Justice Burns ruled that while aspects of Dowdall's transition to witness were not without difficulty, the court is entitled to hear his evidence.Today, Nicola Tallant talks with Niall Donald about the much-anticipated witness who once stood accused of murder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Joulu 202225min