The Special Criminal Court has heard that the physical scars of the attack on Kevin Lunney will remain with him forever.
A statement on behalf of the businessman - who was kidnapped and tortured before being left on the side of a road two years ago - was read out on his behalf in court today at the sentencing hearing of three men for the attack.
Here is the statement in full:
I know that the physical scars and mental trauma of the events of the 17th of September 2019 will remain with me and my family for the rest of our lives.
Every day I think about the effect this crime has had on my wife and children and our immediate family circle and how this will impact us in the long term.
They have been my rock and my refuge and that is why the anguish that they have had to endure is of greater torment to me than the physical pain of the attack.
For now, some two years on, I am just grateful that we have found a way to the put the immediate terror of that evening out of our focus and get on with our daily routines.
But I remain conscious that events like this can never be erased and that we will need to find continuing strength and solace in the support and comfort of so many good people in the times ahead.
I hope and pray that we can remain resilient.
I think also of the personal toll that this event has had on my work colleagues as they seek to rehabilitate and safeguard the business and the jobs within it.
I respect and thank them for the courage and fortitude that they, and all the employees, continue to display in carrying out their collective responsibilities.
The campaign of intimidation against the business and my colleagues that culminated in my abduction was intensely difficult for those directly targeted and a cause of much apprehension and fear in the wider community.
Conversely one of the most affirming and humbling experiences of my life was the raw emotion and solidarity that came from a march by my co-workers, friends and the wider community immediately after my abduction.
I will be forever grateful for that and for the continuing well wishes and prayers of many, many friends and strangers. These are the things that have sustained me.
It has been a long and difficult journey in this trial, and I have the utmost respect for this court, and everyone involved, for their efforts to ensure the rule of law is upheld.
And though today is a major and important milestone, for which I am very thankful, I am also mindful that the journey to full accountability is not yet complete.
I do not know the reason why the defendants decided to do what they did. I don't know them or they me, and I don't know whether their absence of any personal agenda diminishes or aggravates what they have done.
I am, however, saddened at a human level that they have ruined their own lives by their actions, and I sympathise with their families in the anguish they are enduring today.
Neither can I fathom the intent or reasoning that encouraged and enticed them to commit this crime.
I trust those involved now realise that there will never be a place in our community for violent or any other form of intimidation.
I thank the court for its time, diligence, and energy in carrying out its extremely difficult work.
I also thank the staff of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the gardaí and the PSNI for the thousands of hours or meticulous and painstaking police work on the case.
I thank the man who found me by the roadside and the others who stopped and attended - who in dong so, saved my life - as well as the doctors and nurses who nursed me back to health.
Finally, the Victim at Court Service were extremely supportive to me throughout the trial. They operate in a mainly voluntary capacity, but provide an outstanding and vital service, for which I am very grateful.
