Convicted murderer loses appeal
Liverpool-born David Hunter, now 47, has failed in his attempt to overturn his conviction for the murder of Michael Barr in a Dublin pub in 2016. The Special Criminal Court dismissed his appeal on Monday, upholding the life sentence imposed in 2020.
The murder
On April 2016, Hunter and another man, Eamon Cumberton, entered the Sunset House pub in Dublin wearing boiler suits and rubber masks, including a Freddy Krueger mask. They opened fire on Michael Barr, 35, a bar manager and known dissident republican, who was attending a fundraiser for IRA prisoners' wives. Barr was shot seven times, five in the head.
Eyewitnesses initially mistook the attackers for pranksters or a kissogram. A former soldier thought the gunman holding a 9mm handgun was a prankster, while a woman believed it was a kissogram joke. The reality became clear when a stray bullet hit the mirror behind the bar.
The getaway and evidence
After the shooting, Hunter and Cumberton fled in a car that was later dumped and set on fire. However, emergency services reached the burning vehicle before the flames destroyed the evidence. Police recovered four guns, including the murder weapon, ski masks, rubber masks, a mobile phone, and boiler suits. Hunter's DNA was found on two of the masks.
Hunter's defence
At trial, Hunter claimed his DNA was on a ski mask because he had dropped it during a car theft months before the murder, but could not explain his DNA on the rubber mask. He also claimed he was in Ireland to attend a UB40 concert, but his story did not match the concert date. The trial judges described his alibi as "unbelievable and untrue."
Hunter was described by his own lawyers as "no James Bond or Ethan Hunt" but rather "a two-bit car thief." Irish media reported he was vulnerable, drug-addicted, and easily manipulated, making him an ideal disposable asset for the Kinahan Cartel.
The appeal
Hunter launched an appeal in 2025, arguing that the trial court wrongly rejected eyewitness testimony about a height discrepancy between the two gunmen. One witness described the gunman as 6ft 1 or 2in, while Hunter is 5ft 10in. Another witness stated the gunman wore a ski mask under a latex mask, which the trial court allegedly ignored.
However, Judge John Edwards ruled that the Special Criminal Court's assessment of eyewitness evidence was "cogent and rigorous." He dismissed concerns over height, DNA evidence, and the court's approach, and the appeal was dismissed.
Background
The murder was part of the violent feud between the Kinahan Cartel and the Hutch gang, which began in 2015 and claimed at least 18 lives. The Kinahans believed the Hutch gang had sourced weapons from dissident republicans, and the Regency Hotel shooting in February 2016, where David Byrne was killed, was a key trigger.
