Jim Mansfield Jnr trial reaches closing speeches

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Jim Mansfield Jnr’s trial reached closing speeches at the Special Criminal Court before a three-judge, non-jury court presided over by Justice Alex Owens. The proceedings were reported on 8 October 2021.

Mansfield pleaded not guilty to conspiring with one or more people to falsely imprison Martin Byrne on a date unknown between 1 January and 30 June 2015. He also denied attempting to pervert the course of justice by directing Patrick Byrne to destroy CCTV footage, with the alleged intention of perverting public justice in relation to Martin Byrne’s false imprisonment at Finnstown House Hotel in Lucan between 9 and 12 June 2015.

In closing submissions, prosecution counsel Shane Costelloe SC said Mansfield brought Martin Byrne to a remote office and delivered him to Dessie O’Hare and Declan Duffy. He said the purpose was to evict Byrne from his home at The Towers, which Mansfield owned. Costelloe also pointed to Patrick Byrne’s testimony that Mansfield told him to destroy CCTV evidence.

Defence counsel Bernard Condon SC said Martin Byrne’s evidence was unreliable, dishonest and muddled. He said there was no evidence the abduction was intended to evict Byrne and suggested alternative possibilities connected to Byrne’s dealings with known IRA members.

Justice Owens did not say when a verdict would be announced. He listed the case for mention on 15 November and said he would indicate beforehand if the court had reached a verdict.