Roscommon eviction trial reaches closing stages

Closing speeches have begun in the criminal trial of four men - including one from Donegal - accused of taking part in an armed attack on security men guarding a repossessed farm in Roscommon five years ago.

At around 5am on December 16, 2018, a group of approximately 30 armed men smashed their way into a house at a recently repossessed rural property at Falsk, just outside Strokestown, Co Roscommon and allegedly attacked four of the security guards present.

Patrick Sweeney (44) of High Cairn, Ramelton, Co Donegal; Martin O'Toole (58) of Stripe, Irishtown, Claremorris, Co Mayo; Paul Beirne (56) of Croghan, Boyle, Co Roscommon and David Lawlor (43) of Bailis Downs, Navan, Co Meath have pleaded not (NOT) guilty to 17 charges each at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Each man is charged with false imprisonment and assault causing harm to four security personnel, aggravated burglary and arson of four vehicles which were set alight.

They are also each charged with criminal damage to the front door of the house, violent disorder, robbery of a wristwatch from one security guard and, finally, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by causing or permitting an animal to be struck on the head.

On day 38 of the trial, which began last February, prosecuting counsel Anne Rowland SC began her closing speech to the jury.

She told the jury that this was an orchestrated, well-timed and well-organised attack and that everyone involved had two common goals – to get the security guards out of the house and to ensure they didn't come back. She said it is the State's case that everyone who was at the scene was liable for any criminal acts committed by everyone else.

She reminded the jury of the evidence of the four alleged victims who gave evidence of being terrified and in fear of their lives. She said one security man ran for his life into adjacent fields in the pitch dark with men coming after him while three other men escaped by jumping into a river in the winter night.

She said that the evidence of security guard Ian Gordon was that at around 5am, he saw a tele-handler driving with no lights and smashing through the front gates to the property. She said that a cattle truck then parked up and 30 to 40 armed men, dressed in hi-vis yellow vests, got out.

She said they fanned out around the house and that Mr Beirne admitted to gardai that he had put in the front door using a sledgehammer. She said there was absolute mayhem with men running around shouting, yielding weapons including hatchets, pick axes, sticks with nails hammered into them, a chain saw, and possibly an angle grinder.

Mr Gordon testified that a man put a gun to his head and ordered him to crawl on the ground and eat the faeces of Mr Gordon's guard dog that had lost control of it's bowels. The dog had been beaten around the head with a baseball bat and later died from its injuries.

She said a number of security men described grown men repeatedly jumping on their body and legs. Johnny Graham said he was attacked with a meat cleaver and hit with a hurley, baseball bat and sticks before someone doused his legs with petrol.

Ms Rowland told jurors that all the vehicles in the farmyard were set alight and “there was a terrifying atmosphere”.

She said the evidence of the witnesses and from footage allegedly recorded on a body camera of Mark Rissen showed that the attackers were “bent on violence and on domination...and high on adrenaline”.

She said that the evidence of Michael Kane, who had run into the fields to hide, was that when he came back “it was like looking into the gates of hell” and that he expected to find corpses.

The trial continues before Judge Martina Baxter and a jury.