Eoin Reynolds
Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney was still in pain, scarred and fearful of going out in public more than one month after he was abducted and assaulted, a doctor has told the Special Criminal Court.
Dr Muhammad Ashraf Butt of Cavan General Hospital examined Mr Lunney on October 25th, 2019 and noted that he had a seven-centimetre-long scar from his right ear to his cheek and a ten-centimetre-long scar from his right ear to his jawbone, where he had been slashed with a Stanley knife on the previous September 17th.
Mr Lunney used a beard to hide the scarring but it was still partially visible, the doctor said.
He also had scars on his right upper arm, left wrist, and an eight-centimetre-long vertical scar on his lower chest and upper abdomen and a 13-centimetre-long scar on the left side of his abdomen.
Scarring remained on his left lower leg where surgeons had inserted a nail from his knee to his ankle to repair a fracture to his tibia or shinbone. In the middle of the shin area the doctor noted a "bony swelling".
Fearful of public places
A 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 also told Dr Butt that he did not sleep well for a time due to the pain and was "fearful of going out in public places."
Dr Butt said doctors had also noted the extent of Mr Lunney's injuries when he was triaged at Cavan General Hospital on September 17th.
They noted multiple slash wounds to his face, bruising in various places, mild head injuries, pain and bruising in his right arm and pain in his right leg where an x-ray would later reveal the fractured tibia.
The lacerations to his face included a ten-centimetre-long wound to the right side and two parallel seven-centimetre-long wounds to the left side.
'Ten out of ten' pain
He was hypothermic and his attackers had poured bleach on him. Mr Lunney described his pain as "very severe, ten out of ten," the doctor said.
He required fluids and paracetamol and morphine was administered both by injection and in tablet form.
X-rays revealed an oblique, minimally displaced fracture to the tibia. The doctor said the fracture would have left Mr Lunney unable to walk and contributed to his hypothermia as it prevented him from finding cover when his attackers left him wearing only his boxer shorts on a roadside.
The wounds to his face required 24 stitches. Other face wounds were closed using glue. The surgery to his leg was carried out after he was transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
He was discharged on September 24th, seven days after the assault.
Weeks to resolve
The pain took weeks to resolve, Mr Lunney told the doctor, and he suffered headaches and nausea for a time.
The right leg had been "extremely painful" for at least ten days and then gradually improved. There was still pain in the right calf when the doctor examined it on November 25th.
The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh.
