Hutch's defence: State has 'danced around' jurisdiction issue

Counsel said that the prosecution was asking the court to put a 'strange' and 'very wrong' interpretation on the Criminal Justice Surveillance Act 2009

Armed gardai outside the court during the trial of Gerry Hutch Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Gerard Hutch’s defence team has told his Special Criminal Court murder trial that there is nothing in the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009 to suggest it has scope beyond the borders of the State and that the Oireachtas would have legislated for this with "irresistible clearness" if this had been the case.

Senior counsel Brendan Grehan, for Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch, said on Tuesday that the State had "danced around" the jurisdiction issue concerning conversations between Regency Hotel murder accused Mr Hutch and ex Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall that were captured by a Garda bugging device.