The sentence hearing of three men involved in the storming of a repossessed house in Co. Roscommon has heard a shotgun was put to the head of a security guard.
The trio will be sentenced next month for their roles in what one of the security men at the Strokestown property described as "like going through the gates of hell".
In the early hours of the 16th of December 2018, the locked gates outside the repossessed property were rammed, and up to 40 masked men, armed with hurleys, baseball bats, a meat cleaver, and a chainsaw, then spilled out of a lorry.
One of the four injured security men said they were like “wild animals.” Another described being cable-tied before having a knife pulled across his throat.
Following a 50-day trial, Patrick J Sweeney (44), a builder from Ramelton, Co Donegal; Mayo farmer Martin O'Toole (58) from Stripe in Irishtown; and cattle farmer Paul Beirne (56) from Boyle, Co Roscommon, were found guilty of various charges, including false imprisonment, assault causing harm and animal cruelty.
The trial heard a security dog had to be put down after being beaten with a bat.
The three men were also convicted of violent disorder, criminal damage and aggravated burglary. They’ll be sentenced on July 28th.
