Four to face trial over attack on Quinn boss
Abduction case starts next year
Whale leaps out of water
FOUR men will stand trial next year charged with assaulting and falsely imprisoning Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney.
The non-jury Special Criminal Court yesterday heard the case involves 50,000 documents and will start on January 21.
Luke O’reilly, 66, from Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan; Darren Redmond, 25, from Caledon Road, East Wall, and Alan O’brien, 38, of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, both Dublin, are all charged with false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm.
Another male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is also charged with the same offences over the incident involving Mr Lunney, 50, at Drumbrade, Co Cavan on September 17 last year.
Prosecutor Garret Baker told Mr Justice Tony Hunt the case involved 50,000 documents that needed to be digitally rendered and 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.
Mr Justice Hunt read an alibi warning to the four men and ordered them not to have contact with anyone involved in the trial. The court also heard a vehicle
It does a turn in mid-air recovered in the investigation was “burned, apparently accidentally” while in Garda custody.
Lawyers for one of the accused said they did not know what happened but they would be “grateful” if gardai and DPP could “tell us all they know”.
Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding at the three-judge court, put it to prosecutors the matter seemed to be “of concern” and told one: “You’ll
Kevin Lunney
Crashing back into the water have to do more than look into it.” O’brien will appear before the court again on July 6 when his lawyers will try to have the charges thrown out.
Mr Lunney, from Co Fermanagh, was found incapacitated on a roadway having suffered a broken leg and been doused in bleach.
In an interview with the BBC last year, he alleged the letters “QIH” had been carved into his chest during a two-and-ahalf hour ordeal.
In April, the High Court heard said the alleged abduction was the “culmination of a campaign of intimidation”
against the firm’s directors.
VICTIM