Gerry Hutch

Gerry Hutch (born 1963) is an Irish former criminal. He was regarded as the prime suspect for two of the biggest armed robberies in Irish history.[1][2] He was nicknamed "The Monk" as he is known for his clean living and religious beliefs, leading a "disciplined, ascetic lifestyle" after leaving prison in 1985.[3] He has been active within Dublin's inner city community, working with disadvantaged children and encouraging them not to take drugs.[3]

Early life

Born in central Dublin, his career began at the age of 10 when Hutch joined the Bugsy Malone Gang of inner city youngsters (named after the feature film), which he later led, whose crimes in the 1970s included "jump-overs" - jumping over bank counters, grabbing cash and running.[3]

He was later part of a gang involved in major robberies and received many convictions between 1970 and 1983 intermittently spending time in prison.[4] His gang was said to have amassed an estimated IR£40 million from a series of bank robberies, jewellery heists, and fraud scams spanning almost eight years. Hutch also been awarded money from legal actions in Irish courts. These included £8,500 won from Securicor Ireland in June 1991, £2,000 from the Sunday Tribune newspaper in a libel action and around £26,000 won in legal actions against the Irish state.[3]

Hutch admitted to being a "convicted criminal" in a 2008 interview with The Independent, but insisted that he made his money through property deals, not crime.[5][6]

Corinthians Boxing Club

In 1998 he was a founder member of the Corinthians Boxing Club in Dublin and has served as treasurer for the club. The club has a full gym and a boxing ring. The latter was donated by film director Jim Sheridan after making the film The Boxer.[3]

Criminal Assets Bureau

In 1999, in the course of court proceedings brought against Hutch by the Irish state's anti money laundering agency, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), Detective Chief Superintendent Felix McKenna stated that Hutch had been involved in the IR£1.7 million robbery of an armoured van at Marino Mart in January 1987 and the IR£3 million armed robbery of a Brinks Allied Security Depot in Clonshaugh, County Dublin, in 1995, which had been the largest cash robbery in the State at the time.[3][7]

Hutch eventually reached an IR£1.2m settlement with the CAB to "cover back taxes and interest for a nine-year period".[3][8]

Driving career

After the CAB settlement, Hutch applied for and was granted a taxi licence,[9][10] and at one point used a stretched Hummer as a taxi under a service branded Carry Any Body, a name which is said to refer to the CAB settlement.[11][12]

He has featured in the Irish media as he has driven celebrities[11] including Mike Tyson[13] on their visits to Ireland.

Film and television

Hutch is depicted in the film Veronica Guerin, played by Alan Devine.[14] It is based on the life of the late Irish journalist Veronica Guerin who had interviewed him.[2]

Hutch appeared on RTÉ's Prime Time programme in March 2008 where he was interviewed about his life and criminal career. Hutch denied any criminal activity, since his last prison sentence, other than tax evasion.[5]

Hutch was the subject of investigation in the Irish TV3 channel's television series, Dirty Money.[5] Episode 5, which aired March 2008 was solely devoted to the assets seized by the CAB from Hutch[15] and the threat to seize assets from his family.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Martin Breheny (1 July 2000). "Hitting them where it hurts". Independent. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Paul Williams (2011). Badfellas. Penguin. p. 243-45. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Keane, Conor (1 April 2000). "Hutch to Clear Outstanding Liabilities in a £1.2m Deal with the State". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  4. ↑ Williams, Paul (27 October 2011). Badfellas. Penguin Books. pp. 243–. ISBN 9780141970295. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kelly, Flach (13 March 2008). "I got rich from property not crime, claims The Monk". The Independent. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Paul Williams (2012). "The Monk". Gangland: The Shocking Exposé of the Criminal Underworld. The O'Brien Press. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "RTÉ News, 14th May 1999". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 14 May 1999.
  8. ↑ Lally, Conor (8 December 2012). "A Crime Boss Who Changed with the Times". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Irish taxi industry website quoting Irish Times, 6th June 2001".
  10. ↑ O'Brien, Carl (9 January 2004). "Taxi-drivers convicted of rape, murder to be denied licences". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mallon, Ian (20 April 2009). "Credit crunch forces Monk to sell luxury limo". Evening Herald. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Huge, heavy and it's here... the Hummer hits Wicklow". The Irish Times. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Showbiz Ireland, 28th March 2006".
  14. ↑ Elley, Derek (31 July 2003). "Veronica Guerin. (movie review)". Daily Variety. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Watch Dirty Money S1E5 Online - The CAB operation against bank robber Gerry Hutch - TV Shows - SideReel". Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "Monk paid up to stop CAB questioning wife - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 17 September 2014.