'No reason' why ban on naming Kevin Lunney attacker should remain, State tells court

The State has argued to the Court of Appeal that an anonymity order protecting a man convicted in the Kevin Lunney case should be lifted without further delay. The individual, identified as YZ in proceedings, received a 30-year sentence in December for his role in the kidnapping and torture of the Quinn Industrial Holdings director, who was abducted from his home in County Fermanagh in September 2019. Two co-accused received sentences of 25 and 15 years respectively. The anonymity order was originally imposed because the man faced separate charges when the Special Criminal Court trial began, but the Director of Public Prosecutions submitted today that the naming restriction should now be removed, as the Lunney proceedings have concluded. The DPP's counsel told the Court of Appeal that circuit court cases against the individual were unlikely to commence imminently and presented no obstacle to identification. The Court of Appeal indicated it would hear further submissions next Friday before deciding whether to lift the order.