THE former National Surveillance Unit head did not consult the senior investigating officer on the Regency Hotel probe or the DPP when he destroyed records from a tracker device, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
Former Detective Inspector Ciaran Hoey said he did not believe the records would be used in the prosecution when he ordered their destruction. It happened months before the Regency Hotel murder trial began last month.
The tracking had been deployed on ex-Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall's jeep.
Mr Hoey also said tracker evidence had never been previously used in the history of the Surveillance Act.
Hutch's defence lawyer Brendan Grehan SC said he could not understand how Mr Hoey could "in good faith" have made a decision to have potentially relevant evidence to a criminal trial destroyed.
Mr Grehan told the court yesterday that gardai destroyed records from the tracking device that had been placed on Dowdall's Toyota Land Cruiser jeep when he is alleged to have driven murder accused Gerard Hutch north for a meeting with republicans in the aftermath of the shooting.
Counsel said "disturbingly", the notes were destroyed by gardai after his client was arrested and charged with the murder of David Byrne.
The destruction of the tracker records was authorised on February 7 this year.
Mr Grehan said the destruction of these records was a "real problem" and he did not accept the State's assertion it was done in accordance with the Criminal Justice Surveillance Act 2009.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 17, 2022-Ausgabe von Irish Daily Mirror.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 17, 2022-Ausgabe von Irish Daily Mirror.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
THREE-FLOWING FOOTBALL!
Klopp has come up with a new dynamic triple threat on counter
MOORE'S MERRIER
Late, late leveller lifts new boss Darren
WE'VE GAT A GREAT CHANCE
Tompkins and Davies praise Gatland's clear vision and reckon 'the sky's the limit' for Wales
BYRNE: DON'T SEND ME TO BRITISH JAIL
Kinahan mobster fights extradition to UK over 'human rights'
Bruce wife: Our family's dementia heartache
'STAR MAY NOT BE AWARE HE HAS IT'
Killer Letby retrial over 'attempted murder of baby girl'
But heartache for other families
Garda chief confirms officer injured by Dail mob
A GARDA chief said an officer was injured in last week's Dail protests by a far-right mob.
Sophia so good
Hollywood great Loren doing well'after broken hip surgery
Eternal no more
Louise is accused of 'throwing bandmates under a bus' after quitting reunion in bitter row
Our lives will never be the same again..
Family mourns 'hero and son' struck by car