Kinahan thug ‘slashed in pub by Patsy Hutch henchman in brutal message’

A Kinahan thug, involved in a plot to murder Patsy Hutch, was slashed in a pub over the weekend.

Stephen Curtis, 35, who was released from prison last September, suffered injuries to his face and body in the horrific attack at Noctor’s in Dublin’s north inner city. It is believed that Curtis was attacked by a Hutch associate in the Sheriff Street bar.

Gardai are investigating whether a well-known violent Hutch associate, with convictions for serious offences, carried out the blade attack against Curtis around 11pm on Saturday. The incident indicates that tensions from the Kinahan-Hutch feud are still ongoing and that Curtis was injured in what could be seen as a message to him and his associates.

Read more: Ross Hutch attacked in prison days before brother Eddie Jr’s funeral

Read more: Arrest warrant issued for Kinahan gangster who jumped bail after restaurant gun attack in Spain

A source said: “The attack was vicious. Curtis was slashed and received lacerations to his face and body in the incident. [The Hutch associate] was seen carrying out the attack. It was clearly a message to the likes of Curtis and anyone else who got into bed with the Kinahans that they are not welcome in the inner city.”

In response to a query from this paper, a Garda spokesperson said: “Gardai received a report of an incident of assault that occurred at approximately 11pm on the 1st of June on Sheriff Street, Dublin 1. One man aged in his 30s was conveyed to the Mater Misericordiae Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the course of this incident.”

In 2020, Curtis found himself behind bars for his involvement in a Kinahan cartel plot that roped in 10 men, aiming to take out Patsy Hutch right at his doorstep on Champions Avenue during February and March 2018. The crew, which counted Curtis’ brother Patrick among its ranks, had a scheme to draw Hutch outside so they could gun him down on February 28, 2018.

However, their co-conspirator Mark Capper threw a spanner in the works, suggesting they put the murder attempt on ice due to Storm Emma’s arrival on the same day. Capper eventually backed out of the murderous plan altogether, but by then, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau’s detectives had already gathered enough evidence, including taped conversations, to bust the would-be assassins on March 10.

Stephen Curtis, hailing from Bellmans Walk, Seville Place, Dublin 1, owned up to his crime in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, admitting to aiding the Kinahan gang in their failed attempt to off Patsy Hutch, alongside Mohammed Smew and a group of over 10 men in March 2018. Curtis pleaded guilty to providing, or helping to provide, mobile phones for a criminal gang and buying phones, SIM cards, and credit top-ups.

He was also involved in passing on the contact details of the lookout to a gang member and planning or aiding in the planning of an intended hit on Mr Hutch. Curtis took part in sub-cell meetings, purchasing phones and SIM cards.

He expressed doubts about Suspect Number 1, the leader of the attempted murder plot, and voiced his desire to leave the gang. At the same time, his brother Patrick Curtis received a 10-year sentence for his role.

The court was told that Patrick oversaw the sub-cell’s operations and was at the top of its hierarchy. Mr Justice Tony Hunt, overseeing the case, stated unequivocally that Patrick Curtis was aware he was directing the sub-cell for the Kinahan crime group, which he described as “an insidious organisation”, in plotting to kill Mr Hutch.

During Patrick Curtis’ sentencing hearing, a doctor argued that jailing him would be akin to putting “a man with arachnophobia in a cell with spiders” due to his claustrophobia. Dr Conor McGarry, a GP from Portlaoise Prison, testified that Patrick Curtis had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and had past issues affecting his prison coping abilities.

He recounted a harrowing childhood incident where the defendant was trapped in a car at seven years old, desperately clawing to escape, which left him with a lifelong fear of being alone. The court heard that Patrick Curtis is plagued by irrational behaviour and engages in the ritual of blessing himself up to 60 times daily to counteract his negative thoughts.

Patsy Hutch, brother to the notorious Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, found himself in the crosshairs of the merciless Kinahan cartel, responsible for 16 out of the 18 brutal killings in the infamous gangland feud. Throughout the violent dispute, Patsy Hutch was frequently in danger as was his son Patrick Jr, who faced allegations of playing a part in the Regency Hotel slaying of Kinahan gang member David Byrne.

His other son, Derek “Del Boy” Hutch, also became a target, facing assaults even while incarcerated. In a tragic turn of events, just three days following the Regency Hotel attack in February 2016, Patsy and Gerry’s sibling Eddie Hutch was gunned down right at his doorstep in the north inner city.

The feud claimed the lives of several of his nephews too, with Gareth Hutch, Gary Hutch, and Derek Coakley Hutch all falling victim to the ongoing violence.

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