Trio are guilty of brutal assault at repossessed home
SHORTLY after 5am on December 16, 2018, a convoy of vehicles carrying around 30 to 40 men arrived at a recently repossessed farm property at Falsk, Co Roscommon.
The men were variously wearing balaclavas, hoodies and yellow fluorescent jackets and armed with sticks with nails in them, pickaxe handles, a meat cleaver, baseball bats and a hurley.
Four security men were beaten and forced to the ground, had their shoes removed and their hands tied with cable ties.
The windows and doors of the house were smashed, the men’s vans were set on fire and a German Shepherd dog was beaten unconscious and later had to be put down.
Yesterday, after a 50-day trial, a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court convicted three men of taking part in the sustained and brutal attack that morning.
Jurors found a fourth man not guilty of the charges he faced in relation to the incident.
Farm
PJ Sweeney (44), a builder from High Cairn, Ramelton, Co Donegal, Mayo farmer Martin O’Toole (58) of Stripe, Irishtown, Claremorris and cattle farmer Paul Beirne (56) of Croghan, Boyle, Co Roscommon were each found guilty of 15 out of the 17 charges.
The three men were found guilty of false imprisonment of and assault causing harm to Ian Gordon, Mark Rissen, John Graham and Gary McCourtney.
They were further convicted of aggravated burglary, three counts of arson in relation to three vans which were allegedly set alight, criminal damage to a door of a house, violent disorder and to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by causing or permitting an animal to be struck on the head.
They were also each acquitted of robbery of a wristwatch from John Graham and one count of arson in relation to a car which was allegedly set alight.
The jury reunani turned