A Liverpool gunman who shot dead a father outside a Dublin pub for the Kinahan cartel has had his bid to overturn his conviction rejected at the Court of Appeal. David Hunter, now 47, was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison six years ago for the murder of Michael Barr. He took his case to the Court of Appeal, claiming the trial court was wrong to dismiss evidence regarding a witness's concerns about the height of one of the masked men.
Background of the Murder
Hunter, who at the time of his conviction was 41 years old, shot Mr Barr five times in the head, once in the shoulder, and again in the leg inside the Sunset House pub in April 2016. The 35-year-old victim, a known dissident republican, was having a night off from his bar manager job to attend a fundraiser for the wives of IRA prisoners. The murder is believed to be linked to the Kinahan cartel's rivalry with the Hutch crime gang.
The Trial and Evidence
Hunter was convicted of murder following a trial before the Special Criminal Court in November 2020. The panel of three judges ruled that Hunter was one of two men who entered the bar in boiler suits and rubber Freddy Krueger masks before opening fire on Mr Barr. The getaway car was torched by the gang, but the flames failed to fully destroy the vehicle. Inside, police found the murder weapon, three other guns, a mobile phone, and clothing including ski masks on the back seat.
In his defence, Hunter claimed his DNA was on one of the ski masks because he had dropped it while using it in a car theft months before the murder. However, he could not explain why his DNA was on the rubber mask. He also told police he had been in Ireland at the time of the murder after travelling from Liverpool to watch a UB40 gig, but his story did not match the date of the concert.
The Appeal
Hunter's case went before Judge John Edwards on Monday, June 15. The gunman launched his appeal last year on the basis that the trial court was wrong to reject the evidence of witnesses inside the pub who stated there was a difference in height between the two masked men. Michael Bowman, representing Hunter, told the appeal that a witness explained the gunman was wearing a ski mask under a latex mask, and that the trial had not acknowledged this. Bowman also stated the witness said the gunman was 6ft 1in or 2in, whereas Hunter is 5ft 10in.
Judge Edwards dismissed the concerns, as well as concerns over DNA evidence, stating he could find no errors in the court's approach to the trial. The judge dismissed the case, upholding Hunter's conviction.
Hunter was the second man convicted of Mr Barr's murder. His accomplice, Eamon Cumberton, was previously found guilty of being the second gunman.
