'Murder trial' mum assaulted by armed gang

The mother of Liam Keane, the teenager at the centre of a major murder trial which collapsed last week, was reportedly assaulted by an armed gang today.

Margaret Keane was arriving back at her home in Ballysimon, Limerick, in the early hours after a night out with friends when she was attacked by three armed and masked men, according to radio reports.

Although the men are said to have fled when the alarm was raised, Mrs Keane is believed to be badly bruised and suffering from shock.

The decision not to proceed with the murder trial of Liam Keane, 19, at Dublin’s Central Criminal Court last week has caused political outrage and prompted Justice Minister Michael McDowell to order an investigation.

Keane was accused of murdering Eric Leamy from Limerick, but the trial collapsed after six prosecution witnesses told the court they were unable to remember anything about the affair.

Yesterday Mr McDowell advocated the use of video taping equipment in garda stations in the hope that it would deter witnesses from retracting statements at a later date.

He said that resources for filming witnesses were in place in garda interview rooms across Ireland and officers may soon start to use them on an extensive basis.