A Donegal builder on trial for taking part in a “vigilante mob” attack on security men at a repossessed farm told gardaí he was not involved and never harmed anyone in his life.
Patrick Sweeney (44) of High Cairn, Ramelton, Co Donegal is charged with false imprisonment of and assault causing harm to four security personnel at Falsk, Co Roscommon on December 16, 2018.
He is also charged with false imprisonment of and assault causing harm to the four men, aggravated burglary and four charges of arson of four vehicles at the property. He is further indicted on charges of criminal damage, violent disorder, robbery of a wristwatch from one of the security guards and, finally, cruelty to an animal which was fatally struck during the incident.
The trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard that at around 5am on December 16th, 2018, a group of approximately 30 armed men, some wearing balaclavas, arrived at the repossessed rural property at Falsk, just outside Strokestown and attacked security guards there.
The house had been forcibly repossessed five days earlier.
Co-accused 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 are each charged with the same offences. All four defendants have pleaded not to the 17 charges put to each of them.
Detective Sergeant Mark Geraghty from the Special Detective unit told Tony McGillicuddy SC, prosecuting, that on January 11, 2019 he was on duty at Castlerea Garda Station.
He said he was aware that Mr Sweeney had been arrested under Section 30 of the Offences against the State Act and was under detention at Castlerea.
He said he took part in five interview sessions with Mr Sweeney over the course of a 48-hour period. He told Mr McGillicuddy nothing of evidential value arose in the first, fourth and fifth interviews.
During the second interview conducted on January 11th at around 6pm, Mr Sweeny said he had been declared bankrupt and it would be another 15 years before he came out of bankruptcy.
He told gardaí “my business, was myself, trading as myself” and that he had “50 working for me at one stage”.
Mr Sweeney was shown a number of exhibits which were seized during a search of his property and was asked to comment on them.
Asked if he recognised a yellow-handled pick axe, he said “I'm not sure, that could be one of mine.” Gardaí put it to him that the head was new and asked if he had put the head on it.
Mr Sweeney replied “No, you buy it like that, you never get it separate.” He said he would use the pick axe for whacking tyres out and that other men would be borrowing his tools without asking.
“Lads come and go and take it, they are all in the concrete game,” he said. He said he always left his van doors unlocked and never had any bother.
He identified six chainsaws seized from his property and said he had them “more as a hobby” and that he used them to cut trees for timber. He later clarified that it was collection rather than a hobby.
Asked about his alleged involvement in the attack at Falsk he told gardaí, “All you need to know is I never harmed a woman or a man in my life.”
In the third interview, conducted at 9:30pm on January 11, gardaí played the footage from a bodycam worn by a security guard present in the house on the night the attack. The footage, which the jury has seen, shows armed men bursting into the kitchen at the back of the house.
Gardaí put it to Mr Sweeney that he was the man in the footage who is wielding a running chainsaw. Mr Sweeney repeatedly denied that it was him.
Gardaí also put it to him that an implement in the footage had an identical mark to the damage on the pick axe handle seized from his property.
They asked Mr Sweeney why he had a screenshot on his phone of directions from his home in Donegal to Elfin, where “people from the vigilante mob congregated” before the attack at Falsk.
Mr Sweeney replied “that piece of paper was left on the driver seat of my van with garda (sic) on it.”
Under cross-examination from Patrick McGrath SC, defending, Dt Sgt Geraghty agreed that a suspect is entitled to make no reply to questions and has a “right to silence”.
Counsel said his client choose to answer some questions and to deny the allegations.
“He specifically denied he was the person on the video footage,” counsel said. The witness replied that was Mr Sweeney's “assertion”.
*Copy amended on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 at 11.30am.
