Two held after man has his feet nailed to the floor

Gardaí in Limerick are investigating a violent assault in which a 51-year-old man had his feet nailed to the floor at a house in the city.

Details of the horrific attack emerged at a special sitting of Limerick District Court last night when gardaí applied for extra time to question two men arrested on suspicion of withholding information about the incident.

In his evidence to the court, Detective Garda Jim Ryan described how the victim was lured to a house on the south side of Limerick City on September 14 by a call on his mobile.

When he entered the kitchen, he was set upon by a number of people wearing white boiler suits.

The 51-year-old was attacked, held down, and put sitting on a chair.

What is believed to have been a nail gun was then used to fire a number of nails into his feet, which went through his feet and into the floor.

The man also suffered a blow to the left side of his face and an eye injury.

The assailants left and the victim managed to escape and, with the help of a friend, went to University Hospital Limerick, where he was treated for his injuries.

In his evidence, Det Supt Ryan said the two men, aged 50 and 52, are believed to be in possession of information about the people responsible for the assault and false imprisonment.

He said that both men have also given various accounts of their whereabouts on the day of the incident.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy granted gardaí a further 24 hours to question the two men.