Lunney abduction accused claimed gardaí harrassing family, trial told

One of the men accused of abducting and assaulting Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney asked gardaí to leave his family alone after one of his sons died.

The man, known as YZ because he cannot be named for legal reasons, went to Store Street Garda station in Dublin on May 6th, 2019 and complained that one of his family members was being repeatedly stopped on the street.

Sgt Fergal McDonagh told the Special Criminal Court on Friday that he agreed to mediate between YZ and local gardaí.

Having spoken to gardaí, Sgt McDonagh phoned YZ and told him they would continue to do their job but would not “harass” his family. YZ thanked Sgt McDonagh, the court heard.

Sean Guerin SC, who is prosecuting YZ and three other men, called Sgt McDonagh as part of the prosecution’s attempts to link the accused men to phone numbers allegedly used during the abduction and assault on Mr Lunney.

Sgt McDonagh told Mr Guerin that YZ gave him a phone number ending 717 that the prosecution alleges was regularly in contact with Cyril McGuinness, now deceased, around the time of the abduction and assault.

The prosecution alleges that McGuinness instructed the four accused by phone. Sgt McDonagh said he phoned the 717 number and was satisfied that the person he spoke to was YZ.

The 40-year-old man known as YZ; Alan O'Brien (40), of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, Dublin 3; Darren Redmond (27), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3 and Luke O'Reilly (67), with an address at Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan; have all pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and intentionally causing serious harm to Mr Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17th, 2019.

Mr Lunney has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings.

His abductors cut him with a Stanley knife, stripped him to his boxer shorts, doused him in bleach, broke his leg with two blows of a wooden bat, beat him on the ground, cut his face and scored the letters QIH into his chest. They left him on a country road at Drumcoghill in Co Cavan where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.

On Friday, the court also viewed CCTV footage of various vehicles on the M1 and M3 motorways, and in Dublin and Cavan on dates in September 2019.

The prosecution alleges that Mr Lunney’s attackers used a silver Renault Kangoo, a Citroen Berlingo Van with red lightning bolts on the sides, a black Audi A4 and a BMW to plan and carry out the offences.

The trial continues on Monday in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, and Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh.