Prosecution in Lunney case 'highly likely' to close next week
Special Criminal Court
The prosecution in the trial of four men accused of abducting and assaulting Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney has said it is "highly likely" it will close its case next week.
The trial began seven weeks ago before the three-judge, non-jury court and had initially been expected to take up to three months. Sean Guerin SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions today (Friday) told the court that he expects the prosecution evidence to finish at some point next week. Barristers for the four accused have not indicated whether they intend to call evidence.
A 40-year-old man known as YZ; Alan O’Brien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3; Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3; and Luke O’Reilly (67), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan have all pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan, on September 17, 2019.
The prosecution has so far called evidence relating to contacts between mobile phones that they say were used in the organisation and commission of the offences. The location of phones that the prosecution says were used by the accused was also traced by establishing what masts they pinged off at different times.
The court has also viewed CCTV footage of various vehicles moving between Dublin and Cavan on the day of the offences and certain individuals interacting with those vehicles. The court has heard that DNA samples were taken from a Renault Kangoo van that the prosecution says was used by Mr Lunney's attackers to get to and from Cavan. Further DNA evidence is expected next week.
Mr Lunney has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home in County Fermanagh and driven to a container where he was threatened, beaten and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings.
His abductors stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest. They left him bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill in the Crossdoney area of Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt is presiding in the trial with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh.