Thomas 'Nicky' McConnell gets life for 'violent and callous' murder of Gerry Hutch's nephew

The mother of Gareth Hutch told the court: 'Losing Gareth has caused my heart and all our families hearts to be broken.'

Last December, Thomas 'Nicky' McConnell (pictured) became the fourth person to be found guilty of the murder of Mr Hutch in an ambush in Dublin over eight years ago, following a verdict by the Special Criminal Court. File picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

The mother of Gareth Hutch has told the Special Criminal Court that her son's murder in an ambush outside his home over eight years ago was "a violent and callous crime with no value or thought given for a life".

In a statement read out at a sentencing hearing for the fourth person to be convicted of the murder of Gerard 'The Monk' Hutch's nephew Gareth Hutch, Vera Hutch said her son was "senselessly and cruelly taken" from her family in May 2016, tearing her life apart and changing their world "forever".