Armagh father and son stand trial accused of assaulting former Republican prisoner

An Armagh businessman and his son have gone to trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court charged with assaulting a man in County Monaghan in November 2012. Eugene Hanratty Senior, aged 57, of Castleblaney Road, Crossmaglen, and his 34-year-old son Eugene Hanratty Junior, of Dundalk Road, Crossmaglen, both deny causing harm to the alleged victim. The complainant told the court he was blocked in a narrow lane near his home and subjected to a sustained assault involving punching and kicking, which left him with fractures to his nose and eye sockets. He denied defence suggestions that he initiated a fight or attempted to retrieve a firearm during the incident. The accused's counsel characterised his client as a legitimate businessman. The witness stated he had been vocally opposed to diesel laundering waste dumping in the area and had walked publicly with a police chief, actions he said had made him unpopular locally. The trial before Judge Martin Nolan and a jury continues.