The Kinahan crime gang carries out “execution-type murders” and trafficks drugs and firearms “on an international scale”, the Special Criminal Court has found.
The ruling came as a Kinahan “foot soldier” Mark Capper was jailed for seven-and-a-half years for helping to plan the murder of Patrick “Patsy” Hutch.
Sentencing Capper at the non-jury Mr Justice Hunt said Capper “knew well” what planned by his associates and he had a “shrewd appreciation” of the detail and methodology to be used in the planned gangland hit.
The judge said the 31-year-old’s actions were intentional as opposed to reckless and he was initially prepared to serve on the front line for the vicious gang and offered ideas towards the plan to murder Mr Hutch.
There is no doubt he was aware of the nature and structure of the Kinahan crime organisation, he added.
Capper was most likely “dropped” from the plot to kill "Patsy" Hutch as he was not full on board due to his reservations and state of mind, the judge pointed out
Mr Justice Hunt said the court accepted garda evidence that the Kinahan organisation is an organised crime gang involved in “execution-type murders” amid violent feuds“to protect its core activities”.
He said the some of the gang's activities include “organised drugs and firearms” offences on “an international scale”.
The Special Criminal Court also accepted that the crime gang operated “an organised hierarchical structure” with “cells and sub-cells” to “segregate activities and limit knowledge” among gang members.
The gang also operated on directions from superiors within this hierarchy.
Capper, who admitted helping the organised crime group with a plan to kill Patrick Hutch - the older brother of the leader of the rival Hutch organised crime group - pulled out three days before the attempted murder.
Capper of Cappagh Green, in Finglas, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty in March to having knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation and participating in activities intended to facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation.
The three-judge court also heard that Capper was hired by vicious drug gang and the arrival of Storm Emma had scuppered the gang’s first bid to murder Hutch.
Passing sentence today, Mr Justice Hunt, presiding at the three-judge court, said that Detective Inspector David Gallagher gave evidence on May 11 , where he specifically identified the criminal organisation as the Kinahan organised crime group.
Mr Justice Hunt said an intelligence operation was led from the outset and surveillance had identified ten people directly involved in the gang's enterprise.
The target of the operation was not known to gardai at the early stage but it became apparent towards the end of February 2018 that the organisation was trying to murder Mr Hutch and it was based on three central elements of a plan.
The first was to set up a “staging post” at Belmont apartments which was midway between two locations associated with the target Patrick Hutch.
The second was a “ruse” to commit criminal damage “to lure” Mr Hutch from his home to the murder scene while a “looker” would give the “hit team” the signal when he was on his way.
The third element was to have a “getaway location” at Stoney Road in East Wall in Dublin where the gunmen would go through a pedestrian tunnel and a car would be waiting on the other side to take them away.
Capper did not appear as a participant within the sub-cell until February 24, 2018 and there were recordings of specific conversations between Capper and Michael Burns - who has also pleaded guilty to the same offence - concerning Mr Hutch’s movements.
These recordings included references to drawing Mr Hutch out of his home, gardai presence in certain areas, the underground car park at Belmont Hall Apartments on Gardiner Street and the burning of a getaway vehicle, said the judge.
Capper had expressed concern about getting arrested, was reluctant about carrying out the plan, had concerns about the weather and referred to needing more weapons, pointed out Mr Justice Hunt.
Audio surveillance of a vehicle recorded Capper asking Michael Burns for a loan of €50, which he was refused. Mr Justice Hunt said this shed light on Capper’s financial motivation for his involvement in the incident as he was obviously struggling with money at the time.
“Capper’s intentional assistance was provided to a criminal organisation of a very serious type and there was no doubt he was aware of the nature and structure of the Kinahan organisation,” highlighted the judge.
Undoubtedly, Capper was of considerable assistance to the Kinahan organisation and it must be accepted his acts of facilitation and assistance terminated three days before the proposed murder, said the judge.
However, Capper had not assisted to the full extent that was originally contemplated by him and no serious crime actually occurred, he continued.
It was not known if Capper actively withdrew or if his retainer was withdrawn but given the reservations expressed, it was most likely the defendant was dropped from the plot as he wasn't fully on board, said the judge.
Capper had caused inconvenience to the Kinahan organisation when he dropped out on March 7, he said.
He also noted that the fact serious harm or death did not ensue was due to the fine work of gardai and no thanks to Capper or his cohorts.
The judge set the headline sentence at 11 years in prison.
The weightiest mitigation factor was his early guilty plea and he was entitled to a 25 percent discount from the headline sentence resulting in a sentence of eight years and three months, he said.
Capper has 65 previous convictions and suffered with a drug addiction problem. He was diagnosed with ADHD from a young age, had an IQ of 63 when he was 13 years old and attended a school for pupils with learning disabilities.
The judge said Capper’s involvement in the event arose from his financial circumstances and his drug addiction and further suspended the last nine months of the sentence
In July 2019, a three-man “hit for hire team” received sentences totalling 36.5 years at the Special Criminal Court for planning to kill Patrick “Patsy” Hutch before they were intercepted by gardai just 250 metres from their target’s home in Dublin’s north inner city.
Gary Thompson (35) and his brother Glen Thompson (25) were each jailed for 12 years and six months.
A third man, Afghan war veteran Robert Browne (36) was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison.
Gary Thompson, with an address at Plunkett Green in Finglas, Dublin 11, his brother Glen Thompson, of Plunkett Drive, also in Finglas, and Robert Browne, of Phibsboro Road in Phibsboro, Dublin 7 admitted to unlawful possession of four firearms with intent to endanger life at Belmont Hall Apartments, Gardiner Street, Dublin 1 on March 10, 2018.
The four firearms included a 9mm Rak sub-machine gun, a .38 Special Calibre Rossi Make Revolver, a 9mm Beretta 92 semi-automatic pistol and a 9mm Makarov semi-automatic pistol.
