Courts / Cavan / Report
Bid to halt Lunney trial fails
Summary
Four men accused of falsing imprisoning and assaulting Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney have had a pre-trial application to adjourn their case rejected at the Special Criminal Court. Mr Justice Tony Hunt dismissed all four grounds of the defence application on December 7th, clearing the way for the trial to commence on January 11th as scheduled. The trial, expected to last twelve weeks, concerns allegations relating to an incident at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, County Cavan on September 17th, 2019. Luke O'Reilly, aged 66, from Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, County Cavan; Darren Redmond, aged 25, from East Wall, Dublin; and Alan O'Brien, aged 39, also from East Wall, Dublin, are named accused. A fourth defendant cannot be named for legal reasons. The court rejected arguments concerning mobile phone data retention law, High Court jurisdictional challenges, disclosure volume, and concerns regarding DNA evidence recovered from a van that subsequently caught fire while in gardai custody.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Bid to halt Lunney trial fails. Charges or matters: false imprisonment; assault causing serious harm. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- January 11 Adjournment
- September 17, 2019 Incident
- September 17 Incident
- January 11, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 21 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2020-12-07 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: false imprisonment; assault causing serious harm (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: adjournment application rejected
Defendant
Charges: false imprisonment; assault causing serious harm (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: adjournment application rejected
Defendant
Charges: false imprisonment; assault causing serious harm (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: adjournment application rejected
Accused
Outcome: The judge also found the fact that a Renault Kangoo van went on fire from an electrical fault while in the possession of gardai was "immutable" and was not a sufficient basis for the case to be adjourned.
Places mentioned
- Special Criminal Court
- High Court
- Supreme Court
- Central Criminal Court
- The Supreme Court
- Irish Supreme Court
Topics
Related court reports
- 'Wouldn't be out of place in a Tarantino movie': Lunney kidnappers challenge sentences for 'animalistic' torture and abduction
- Kevin Lunney kidnappers lose conviction appeals
- Kevin Lunney kidnapper claims Special Criminal Court conviction unconstitutional
- State urges court to uphold gang's conviction for kidnap and torture of Kevin Lunney
- Career criminal Harte must pay costs of Lunney abduction appeal
- Career Criminal who kidnapped and tortured Kevin Lunney fails in 'moot' appeal over non-jury trial
If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.
Email a correction request