Courts / Louth / Report

Jail for man who said he was INLA member during assault

Summary

Paul Mason, 28, was sentenced to two years in prison with eight months suspended after pleading guilty to assaulting Keith Lynch at Lynch's home in County Louth. The offence, committed on 16 February 2014, stemmed from a 2013 campaign in Ardee that listed Lynch's name among alleged drug dealers. On the night of the assault, Mason and two others confronted Lynch at his front door, claiming to be INLA members and demanding money. They punched, kicked and kicked Lynch to the ground, striking his face and eyes. Lynch later reported that the attackers threatened him with a deadline to pay a ransom. Mason was on bail for a prior theft conviction at the time of the assault. The Special Criminal Court, presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, found aggravating factors in the pre‑planned nature of the attack and the extortion threat, but noted mitigating factors such as Mason's lack of prior convictions and his apology.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail for man who said he was INLA member during assault. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• February 16th, 2014 Incident
• December 2013 Incident
• November 21st Incident
• 2016-12-02 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime

Related court reports

• Assailant told victim "We are the INLA"
• Man pleads guilty to assault at non-jury court
• Man accused of INLA membership further charged with assault

Read the original CNI report