Episode 1272: Mr Big's arrest, Sean McGovern's trial, and the cold case murder of Emer O'Loughlin

THIS is the story of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, from his early days as a young hoodlum through to his astonishing acquittal in the Special Criminal Court for the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel.How did this quiet-spoken man from Dublin's north inner-city become one of the most notorious figures in Irish criminal history?And how did he end up on trial for murder and why did he walk free?This is a four-part story about blood bonds, bitter feuds and shocking betrayal. It's a story about the changing face of Dublin, and the pursuit of justice - in the courts and on the streets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Apr 202331min

HE'S been cleared of murder charges in the Regency trial and has gone straight back into the bosom of his family in Dublin’s north inner city.But while the Hutch clan are celebrating the freedom of their elder Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, they have been left with a stark warning from gardai and by a judgement in the Special Criminal Court.While the State could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that 'The Monk' was a shooter at the Regency, Justice Tara Burns did say that members of the Hutch gang had killed David Byrne and had come together to carry out the bloody attack.So, who are the Hutch group and who are the dirty dozen named in the course of the trial as being the Regency hit team.Nicola Tallant chats with Niall Donald about the future of the Hutch Organised Crime Group and its top command. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Apr 202348min

GERRY ‘The Monk’ Hutch walked free from court an innocent man after being found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel.After a dramatic end to proceedings and a sensational judgement that branded State witness Jonathan Dowdall a callous, base and violent criminal who lied repeatedly to the court, Hutch was told the case against him had not been proven.Nicola Tallant talks with Niall Donald about Justice Tara Burns' lengthy judgement at the Special Criminal Court after she and Judges Sarah Berkeley and Grainne Malone worked into the early hours, about the damning remarks relating to Dowdall’s entry to witness protection, and the questions that remain about what went on behind the scenes after he was charged with murder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Apr 202348min

GERRY ‘The Monk’ Hutch will learn his fate on Monday when three judges from the Special Criminal Court return with a verdict after his lengthy murder trial. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the veteran criminal, who faces either freedom or a life sentence behind bars. Nicola Tallant and Niall Donald revisit the evidence given at trial as the big day looms and the judges reveal whether they believe he is guilty or not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Apr 202339min

IT'S a sensitive and tragic cold-case murder that has become part of the fabric of south Kerry. When five-day-old 'Baby John' washed up on a Kerry beach, his tiny body riddled with 28 stab wounds and his remains placed in a manure sack, nobody could have imagined how long it would take to solve the mystery of who he was. For almost 40 years, journalists and police suspected that the little boy must have been the product of incest or rape and speculated that a teenage mum may have given birth to him in secret. While some demanded justice for the child, many others believed the case should have been left to lie, and it was a regular occurrence that outsiders with questions to ask were made to feel distinctly unwelcome. So what has it been like for local reporters covering the case and what have they made of the recent developments that turned the spotlight on a well-known married couple, understood to be the parents of the child and who have vehemently denied his murder?Nicola Tallant speaks with Sinead Kelleher, a journalist and photographer with The Kerryman, about living too close to a story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

14 Apr 202318min

THE Marengo case against super-cartel kingpin Ridouan Taghi is drawing to a close in the Netherlands, where state prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for the feared gangster and a number of his senior lieutenants.Decrypted messages taken from a series of secretive phone networks used by criminals - including Encrochat and Ennetcom - have formed the backbone of the case and include evidence that Taghi ordered murders and drug shipments from his Dubai bolthole while partnered up with Daniel Kinahan.Nicola Tallant is joined by Jan Meeus, crime correspondent and podcaster with Amsterdam’s NRC media outlet, to discuss the Marengo trial, an appeal which may hear the first evidence of super-cartel supergrass Raffael Imperiale and an eerie calm that has settled in a country exhausted by narco terrorism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Apr 202342min

One year since the Kinahan Organised Crime Group were sanctioned by the US treasury, the bad news has continued for it’s exiled leaders in Dubai.Nicola talks to journalist Eamon Dillon about the dramatic arrests, shocking revelations and the complex takedown plan targeted on the Irish who are last of the Super Cartel still free in the United Arab Emirates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Apr 20231h 1min

IT'S the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement when a monumental task was achieved, and political divides agreed to peace in Northern Ireland.So what has that 67-page document meant for those living north of the border and for their futures, and can we ever really move on from such a bloody past?Nicola Tallant is joined by Belfast Telegraph Crime Correspondent Allison Morris about growing up in West Belfast, working the crime beat towards the end of the Troubles and being there for the momentous occasion 25 years ago when the impossible became a reality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Apr 202336min