Four sent forward for trial, charged with Kevin Lunney's false imprisonment and assault

Luke O'Reilly, 66, from Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan, Darren Redmond, 25, from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin and Alan O'Brien, 39, of Shelmalier Road, East Wall, were remanded in custody.

A fourth defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also remanded in custody.

All four are charged with the false imprisonment of Kevin Lunney at Drumbrade, Ballinagh, Co Cavan on September 17 last year.

A charge of causing harm under Section 3 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, which carries a maximum five-year prison term on conviction, was withdrawn by the State.

It was replaced by a charge of causing serious harm under Section 4 of the same Act, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction.

Det. Garda Alan Jones and Det. Garda David Kerrigan gave evidence of charging the four men in Cavan this morning.

The State solicitor for Cavan, Rory Hayden, applied to have each of the four men remanded in custody and sent forward for trial to the Special Criminal Court.

All four defendants were served with the Book of Evidence during the hearing which lasted almost three hours as a number of submissions were made.

All four men were granted free legal aid and assigned two counsel for their trial at the Special Criminal Court.

None of the four defendants spoke during the hearing.

The men were arrested in November in relation to the abduction and false imprisonment of Mr Lunney in Cavan in September.

They have since been remanded in custody on a number of occasions when they appeared at Harristown District Court, which is located beside Castlerea Prison in Co Roscommon.

Judge McLoughlin sent the four men forward for trial to a sitting of the Special Criminal Court. All four were remanded in custody.