Lunney trial should be halted due to Graham Dwyer mobile data case, defence say

A defence counsel for one of four men charged with the false imprisonment and assault of Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney has applied for the trial to be adjourned, citing legal uncertainty surrounding mobile phone data retention in Ireland. The application was made at the Special Criminal Court on grounds that the law governing the retention and access of such data remains unclear pending a European Court of Justice ruling in a related case involving convicted murderer Graham Dwyer. Luke O'Reilly, Darren Redmond, Alan O'Brien, and a fourth accused are charged with offences against Mr Lunney on 17 September 2019 at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, County Cavan. The trial had been scheduled to commence on 11 January 2021 and was expected to last twelve weeks. The Director of Public Prosecutions requested time to set out her position on the data retention issue. Mr Justice Tony Hunt adjourned the matter for further hearing the following Thursday morning.