Trial of nail-gun assault hears from protected witness who denies he did not know accused
A protected witness who told the Special Criminal Court he saw a man accused of assault and false imprisonment in the house where the attack allegedly took place has denied that he did not know the accused man.
It is the prosecution's case that three men were involved in a "joint enterprise" during which Dan Quilligan, a resident of Rathkeale, was beaten and his left foot nailed with a nail-gun to the kitchen floor of a house in Limerick.
Mark Heffernan (32), Swallow Drive, John Carew Park, Limerick, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Quilligan, causing him harm, at 6, Larch Court on September 14th, 2015.
He has also denied falsely imprisoning Mr Quilligan at the same address on the same date.
Today, protected witness Tom Lillis was cross-examined by Mr Heffernan's counsel Ronan Munro SC.
Mr Munro put it to the witness that on the day of the alleged offences he did not know Mr Heffernan.
Mr Lillis said he saw the accused man that day.
The barrister suggested that prior to the day in question Mr Lillis had "not laid eyes on [Mr Heffernan]".
"I think I seen him once or twice," Mr Lillis said.
Previously, Mr Lillis has testified that he knew Mr Heffernan to recognize, but not personally.
Mr Munro again asked the witness if he knew Mr Heffernan from before the day of the alleged assault.
The witness said, "I can't say yes or no."
The court heard that "mysterious characters" frequently visited the kitchen of the Larch Court house.
Mr Munro described the house as "chaotic".
"Nothing to do with me," Mr Lillis said.
The witness further stated that whenever men were in the kitchen he and another man stayed in the living-room and kept the kitchen door closed.
"We didn't want to know anything about it," he said.
The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge John O'Hagan and Judge Ann Ryan.
