Strokestown attack accused challenges mobile phone evidence

Four men have pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to charges arising from an assault at a repossessed farmhouse near Strokestown, County Roscommon on December 16, 2018. Patrick Sweeney, Martin O'Toole, Paul Beirne and David Lawlor each face 17 charges including false imprisonment, assault causing harm, aggravated burglary and arson. On day 16 of the trial, Detective Sergeant Shane Killeen testified that he seized two mobile phones from O'Toole's home in Claremorris during a search warrant execution in January 2019. Defence counsel for O'Toole challenged the evidence, questioning whether the phones were recovered from the house or taken from the accused's person, and noting that mobile phones were not mentioned in the information sworn to obtain the search warrant. Detective Sergeant Killeen denied the challenge and disputed that contemporaneous records contradicted his account. The trial continues.