Dowdall denies he used promise of bomb timers as 'bargaining tool' 

Security presence at the Special Criminal Court where the trial of Gerry Hutch for the murder of David Byrne continues. Picture: Collins Courts

Ex-Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall, a former co-accused of Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch who has turned State's witness, has denied he used the promise of bomb timers as "a bargaining tool" to get dissident republicans to mediate in the Hutch-Kinahan feud.

Under cross-examination for a sixth day, Mr Hutch's defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC accused Dowdall of having told an "opportunistic lie" to the court and "seizing on" it, when the former electrician said an excerpt from the audio recording — "I know you've more balls than any c*** I know like, doing that and all" — referred to the accused's role in the Regency attack.