The Special Criminal Court will admit mobile phone and CCTV evidence gathered by gardaí investigating the abduction and assault on businessman Kevin Lunney.
The three-judge court ruled on Thursday that the evidence was lawfully gathered by gardaí investigating offences that are "at the very top of any definition of serious crime".
The court rejected arguments made by lawyers for the four men accused of the abduction and assault that the use of mobile phone evidence amounted to mass surveillance and that gardaí were using private CCTV systems to operate a "de facto surveillance system".
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 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 (QIH).
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 bloodied, beaten and shivering on a country road at Drumcoghill, Co Cavan, where he was discovered by a man driving a tractor.
The trial continues in front of Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh.
