Jonathan Dowdall had admitted lying to gardaí after he was arrested over David Byrne's murder but he claims it was a 'lie of necessity' to protect his family.
Today was the third day of his cross-examination in the trial of Gerry Hutch, who is accused of murdering Mr Byrne at the Regency Hotel in February 2016.
In May 2016, Jonathan Dowdall was arrested at Dublin airport as he tried to board a plane to Dubai to visit his sister.
During his questioning, he described Gerry Hutch as a 'quiet man.' He said he liked and respected him but denied being a close friend of his.
Under cross-examination, Mr Hutch's barrister, Brendan Grehan, asked Dowdall why he would say that if he had supposedly confessed to him that he was one of the men who shot David Byrne.
Dowdall said he didn’t know the full background of things at that stage.
After watching the recorded interviews, Mr Grehan again accused him of telling lies. Dowdall accepted he had but he said it was a 'lie of necessity.'
He told Mr Grehan that he couldn’t tell the truth at that point for fear he and his family would be killed.
His cross-examination will enter its fourth day tomorrow.
