The Hon. Mr. Justice
Tony Hunt
Judge of the High Court
Assumed office
30 October 2014
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMichael D. Higgins
Judge of the Circuit Court
In office
15 May 2007 – 30 October 2014
Nominated byGovernment of Ireland
Appointed byMary McAleese
Personal details
NationalityIrish
Alma mater

Tony Hunt is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the High Court since October 2014, and is the senior presiding judge of the Special Criminal Court. He previously served as a Judge of the Circuit Court from 2007 and 2014.

Education

Hunt attended University College Dublin from where he obtained a BCL degree in 1984.[1] He subsequently attended the King's Inns to study to become a barrister.[2]

Hunt was called to the Bar in 1986.[2] He was an appointee of the Bar Council to the Superior Court Rules Committee.[3]

Much of his practice was spent appearing in criminal trials as prosecuting counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions. He acted in trials involving assault,[4] sexual assault,[5] manslaughter,[6] drugs offences,[7] and tax offences.[8] He acted for defendants in traffic offences,[9] and sexual assault cases.[10]

Hunt also represented clients in cases involving injunctions,[11] contracts,[12] and personal injuries.[13]

Judicial career

Circuit Court

His career on the bench began in May 2007 when he was appointed a judge of the Circuit Court.[14] From March 2012, he was assigned to the Midland Circuit.[2]

He was a member of the Circuit Court Rules Committee.[15] He replaced Yvonne Murphy as a member of the Working Group on Efficiency Measures in the Criminal Justice System for the Circuit and District Courts in February 2012.[16]

High Court

Hunt was elevated to the High Court in October 2014, coinciding with multiple vacancies created on the court following the creation by the Court of Appeal.[17]

Hunt frequently hears cases from the Central Criminal Court, including those involving murder,[18] manslaughter,[19] and rape.[20] In 2015, he was the judge in the trial of Graham Dwyer arising out of the murder of Elaine O'Hara. The trial lasted 46 days and attracted much media and public attention.[21] In 2023, he was the judge in the trial of Jozef Puška, arising out of the high-profile murder of Ashling Murphy.[22] Hunt has also heard extradition applications.[23]

He is the senior presiding judge of the Special Criminal Court.[24] He has heard cases concerning dissident republicanism and the Hutch–Kinahan feud, including the shooting of Gareth Hutch,[25] Dessie O'Hare,[26] and the kidnapping of Kevin Lunney.[27][28] In May 2020, he described the Kinahan organisation as having a "hierarchical structure" containing "cells and sub-cells" to engage in "execution-type murders" related to international "organised drugs and firearm trafficking".[29][30] This was the first time a judge had outlined the organisation in such a way in court.[31]

References

  1. ↑ "Recent judicial appointments for our alumni". UCD School of Law. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Finn, Christina. "New appointments chosen to fill vacancies in High Court". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Courts Service Annual Report 2005" (PDF). Courts Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "Woman denies slashing other woman's face". www.irishexaminer.com. 11 July 2002. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "French woman tells court of sexual assault in Cork". www.irishexaminer.com. 5 October 2004. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Father (38) guilty of manslaughter". independent. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Kenyan remanded after his 'naive' drugs smuggling bid". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "F&M smuggler now to face trial over tax offences". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "Driving ban on director lifted". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Tallaght resident convicted of sex assault is banned from area". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Managh, Ray. "Farmers restrained from picketing B of I". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  12. ↑ "Compensation of €25,000 ordered for burned digger". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "Prison officer broke her nose during training". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "Annual Report 2007" (PDF). JAAB. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Courts Service Annual Report 2010" (PDF). Courts.ie. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Report of the Working Group on Efficiency Measures in the Criminal Justice System - Circuit and District Courts" (PDF). justice.ie. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "Annual Report 2014" (PDF). JAAB. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Dublin man found guilty of Tallaght murder in 2017". RTÉ News. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  19. ↑ "Former soldier pleads guilty to manslaughter". RTÉ News. 3 November 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  20. ↑ "Traveller group says State failed women in rape case". RTÉ News. 16 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  21. ↑ "'I agree 110pc with the guilty verdict,' says judge". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  22. ↑ "Judge tells jury in Ashling Murphy murder trial that they must base their verdict solely on evidence". Independent.ie. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  23. ↑ "Bailey extradition hearing to take place next month". RTÉ News. 20 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  24. ↑ Gallagher, Conor; O’Riordan, Alison. "Senior judge says he was not told of plan to suspend second non-jury court". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  25. ↑ O'Brien, Fergal (2 November 2018). "Three given life sentences for murder of Gareth Hutch". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  26. ↑ Reynolds, Paul (11 April 2019). "Dessie O'Hare jailed for assault and false imprisonment". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  27. ↑ "Vehicle held by gardaí in Lunney inquiry burned". RTÉ News. 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  28. ↑ O'Brien, Fergal (21 August 2019). "Two men in court charged with IRA membership". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  29. ↑ "Judge finds Kinahan gang trafficks drugs and weapons on 'international scale' as he jails 'foot-soldier' Mark Capper". www.irishexaminer.com. 28 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  30. ↑ Reynolds, Paul (31 May 2020). "Special report: Inside the Kinahan gang". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  31. ↑ Gallagher, Conor. "Judge's comments a blow to Kinahan attempts to whitewash his reputation". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
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