Two men convicted of acting as getaway drivers in the Regency Hotel attack, during which Kinahan Cartel member David Byrne was murdered, have argued at the Court of Appeal that their prison sentences are excessive. Jason Bonney (55) and Paul Murphy (64) were sentenced to eight-and-a-half and nine years respectively for facilitating the Hutch Criminal Organisation in carrying out the murder.
Bonney's barrister, Brian McInerney SC, told the court that his client had a 'completely unblemished' criminal record and a strong work history. He argued that the headline sentence of ten years set by the Special Criminal Court was excessive, noting that former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall, who facilitated the murder, received a headline sentence of eight years despite deeper involvement.
Murphy's counsel, Mark Lynam SC, said his client was involved only in a 'very peripheral way' and lacked knowledge of the seriousness of the planned attack. He argued that the sentence was too high given Murphy's limited role and lack of prior police attention.
However, Mr Justice John Edwards noted that the gravity of the offending mandated a significant custodial sentence, and that prosocial contributions only allow for a modest discount. The court reserved judgment on the appeals.
