Injured Belgian Shepard had to be euthanised at Roscommon eviction farm, trial hears

A veterinary surgeon has given evidence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in the trial of four men charged in connection with an alleged attack on a rural property near Strokestown, County Roscommon. The vet told the court that he was called to the farm at Falsk on the morning of December 16, 2018, to euthanise a Belgian Shepherd dog that had sustained severe head injuries. The animal presented with open wounds and was in distress, and the vet administered a lethal injection as there were no facilities available to treat the injuries at the location. Patrick Sweeney, Martin O'Toole, Paul Beirne and David Lawlor, aged 44, 58, 56 and 43 respectively, have each pleaded not guilty to 17 charges. These include false imprisonment, assault causing harm to four security personnel, aggravated burglary, arson, violent disorder, robbery and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The court heard that security staff had been present at the property following a repossession on December 11, 2018. The trial before Judge Martina Baxter continues.