LAST UPDATE | 10 Jun 2020

THE TRIAL OF four men accused of abducting and assaulting a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings has heard that a car seized by gardaí may have been “accidentally burned”.

The Special Criminal Court heard this morning that the four will stand trial next year charged with attacking and falsely imprisoning Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney. 

The non-jury court heard that the case of the four men involves 50,000 documents and that the trial will commence on Monday 21 January 2021. 

Luke O’Reilly (66), from Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan, Darren Redmond (25), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, and Alan O’Brien (38) of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 1, are all charged with false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm to Lunney (50) at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on 17 September 2019.  

Another male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is also charged with the same offences. 

Prosecuting barrister, Garret Baker BL, told presiding judge Justice Tony Hunt that the case involved 50,000 documents that needed to be digitally rendered and that it could be four-to-six weeks before they could be disclosed. 

O’Reilly and Redmond had their bail extended to January, while O’Brien and the fourth male were remanded in custody.

Justice Hunt read an alibi warning to the four men and ordered then not to have contact with anyone involved in the case, before adjourning the cases to January.

The unnamed male will have his case reappear at the court on 6 July 2020, for an update on a vehicle on whether or not it had been damaged while in Garda possession.

Mr Michael O’Higgins SC, for the unnamed man, said the defence was seeking further information on a car involved in the case that belonged to his client and that was burned while in Garda possession “apparently, by accident”.

O’Higgins said that he would be “grateful” if the State and the DPP could “tell us all they know, which would be the easiest thing”.

Baker said that the matter was being “looked into”.

The judge said that “cards should be on the table” and that “it should be more than looked into”.

Comments are closed as legal proceedings are ongoing