Nephew of The Monk's 188th crime

Andrew Phelan

A NEPHEW of former crime boss Gerry "The Monk" Hutch has been jailed after failing to convince a judge that he was trying to "fix" a stranger's car door when he was caught interfering with it on a city street.

Edward Hutch Jnr (35) claimed he was trying to "do good" when gardai arrested him on suspicion of trying to break into the Nissan Micra.

Judge David McHugh sentenced him to three months in prison after Dublin District Court heard he had already been handed down 187 previous convictions for a variety of offences.

Hutch, of Portland Row in the north inner city had denied a charge of interfering with the mechanism of a vehicle.

Garda Peter Hughes of Fitzgibbon Street Station said he was on plainclothes patrol in an unmarked car at Distillery Road, Dublin 3 on June 10 last at 1.30pm. He saw Hutch at the driver's side door of the car, pulling at the lock. He approached Hutch and asked what he was doing. "It was my belief that he was pulling at the lock in an attempt to get into the vehicle", the garda said.

Solicitor Yvonne Bambury said the accused had given an explanation that he saw the lock barrel was hanging out and he had been pushing it back into place. The garda said he did not accept that excuse.

"I was trying to fix the barrel back into the door, that is all I was trying to do", said. Hutch. "I know I shouldn't have gone near it, I just thought I was doing good putting it back in the door."

ADDICTION

The court heard Hutch's most recent previous conviction was in March this year, for theft. He had a seven-year old daughter.

Hutch had addiction problems in the past but was currently off drugs and attending the City Clinic, Ms Bambury said.

She asked Judge McHugh to deal with the case in a "non- custodial fashion".

Judge McHugh said a three-month sentence was appropriate given Hutch's record.