An order protecting the identity of a man known as YZ who was jailed for 30 years for the kidnapping and torture of Kevin Lunney should be lifted, the State has told the Court of Appeal.
The naming ban should be lifted "sooner rather than later", the State argued.
YZ inflicted most of the serious injuries on Mr Lunney, a former director of Quinn Industrial Holdings, including knife wounds to his face and torso, after he was abducted from his home in Co Fermanagh on 17 September 2019.
But his identity was not revealed because he had been due to face charges in a separate court when proceedings began
Although the Central Criminal Court case ended before the Lunney trial started in the Special Criminal Court, YZ’s lawyers successfully argued that the naming ban should remain because their client was also facing trials at several different circuit criminal courts.
The Lunney trial concluded on 20 December last year when Mr Justice Tony Hunt sentenced YZ to 30 years’ imprisonment for Mr Lunney’s torture and false imprisonment.
The two co-accused – Alan O'Brien (40), of Shelmalier Road in East Wall, Dublin, and Darren Redmond (27) from Caledon Road in East Wall, Dublin – were jailed for 25 and 15 years respectively for their role in the crime.
The order to prevent YZ's identity being published had been due to end on the day Mr Justice Hunt sentenced the three men.
However, it was extended to January 18 by Mr Justice Charles Meehan on foot of an application from YZ’s barrister, Michael O’Higgins SC, to the High Court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions had opposed the application to extend the anonymity order, saying that the Lunney proceedings had ended and YZ should be named "in the normal way".
Today, Sean Guerin SC, for the DPP, told the Court of Appeal it was unlikely that circuit court proceedings against YZ would begin any time soon and therefore there was no reason not to identity him.
Mr Guerin advised Court President Mr Justice George Birmingham that YZ was involved in several sets of proceedings in different courts, the first of which was due to start in July.
The other cases, Mr Guerin added, were not expected to start in "this calendar year".
Referring to the length of time it would take before all of the cases against YZ were finalised, counsel said it would be best if the anonymity order was lifted "sooner rather than later".
Mr Justice Birmingham agreed to hear the case again next Friday (Jan 21) after requesting both sides to make further submissions.
