A man has been handed a life sentence for the murder of Gerry The Monk Hutch’s nephew, Gareth Hutch, who was shot dead in May 2016.
Thomas McConnell, of Sillogue Gardens, Ballymun, Dublin 11, became the fourth person to be convicted of his murder when he was found guilty last month.
In 2018, three people were handed life sentences for their roles in the murder of Hutch - the ninth victim of the Hutch-Kinahan feud.
And today, Thomas 'Nicky' McConnell, became the fourth.
Last month, the Special Criminal Court found him to be one of two assassins who lay in wait for Mr Hutch in his neighbour’s apartment.
They pounced as soon as he left his apartment on the morning of the 24th of May 2016; shooting him four times as he got into his car outside the complex.
The judges accepted that McConnell hadn’t fired any of the fatal shots, but were satisfied he was “intrinsically involved” in the planning and execution of what they deemed as a 'callous murder.''
As a result, he was convicted under the legal doctrine of common design, with CCTV footage, mobile phone and forensic evidence, linking him to the hit.
Today, the 39-year-old was handed the mandatory life sentence for murder.
McConnell has 105 previous convictions including those for assault, threatening to kill and causing serious harm as well as possession of knives.
The mother of the victim Vera Hutch, had her victim impact statement read out to the court said she had the "privilege and honour of being Gareth's mother for over 35 years before he was senseless and cruelly taken from" his family.
"Standing here in front of you today with my life torn apart, our world changed forever. Losing Gareth has caused my heart and all our families hearts to be broken, nothing can ever repair the emptiness that his death has caused," she told media outside the criminal courts of justice.
