Courts / Dublin / Report

Jim Mansfield Jnr arranged meetings with IRA to help get back property, key witness tells trial

Date
2020-11-06

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Saggart

County
Dublin

Summary

Jim Mansfield Jnr is on trial at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, charged with conspiracy to commit false imprisonment and attempting to pervert the course of justice five years ago. The accused is alleged to have conspired with one or more persons to falsely imprison Martin Byrne on a date unknown between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2015, both dates inclusive. He is also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice by directing Patrick Byrne to destroy recorded CCTV footage, with the alleged intention of perverting the course of public justice in relation to the false imprisonment of Martin Byrne at Finnstown House Hotel, Newcastle Road, Lucan, Co Dublin between June 9, 2015 and June 12, 2015. Mr Mansfield has pleaded not guilty to both counts on the indictment. Martin Byrne, who is now in the Witness Protection Programme, testified that he arranged meetings with the New IRA and the INLA to assist Mr Mansfield in getting back parts of his family's former property portfolio. He also stated that he believed Mr Mansfield had set him up and tried to confront him but was grabbed from behind and pushed into a waiting car. The trial continues on Monday before Mr Justice Alexander Owens presiding, sitting with Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain and Judge James Faughnan. Former INLA man Dessie O'Hare was jailed by the Special Criminal Court for three years for assaulting John Roche and ten years with three suspended for the rest of his life for falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne. Former Republican paramilitary Declan "Whacker" Duffy was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to six years imprisonment in 2018 after pleading guilty to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin on June 9, 2015.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jim Mansfield Jnr arranged meetings with IRA to help get back property, key witness tells trial. Charges or matters: conspiracy to commit false imprisonment and with attempting to pervert the course of justice five years ago; conspiring with one or more persons to falsely imprison Martin Byrne on a date unknown between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2015, both dates inclusive; both counts on the indictment; falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole and Saggart on the same date. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

January 1, 2015 Other
June 30, 2015 Other
June 9, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
June 12, 2015 Other
May 2015 Other
June 2015 Other
April 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
June 9th, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
2020-11-06 Publication

Why: Duffy explained that their involvement was going to be in relation to getting back Mr Mansfield's properties, he said. CNI source report

Case subjects

Former Republican

Accused

Charges: conspiracy to commit false imprisonment and with attempting to pervert the course of justice five years ago; conspiring with one or more persons to falsely imprison Martin Byrne on a date unknown between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2015, both dates inclusive; both counts on the indictment; falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole and Saggart on the same date (Alleged Or Contested)

Outcome: Former Republican paramilitary Declan "Whacker" Duffy was sentenced by the Special Criminal Court to six years imprisonment in 2018 after pleading guilty to assaulting John Roche, causing him harm, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, County Dublin on June 9, 2015.

Jim Mansfield Jnr

Accused