Kevin Lunney trial hears gardaí were entitled to use mobile phone data

Lawyers for the State said mass retention of mobile phone data is not a breach of anything but an "interference" with privacy rights which is allowed when investigating serious crime

Kevin Lunney (pictured) has told the court that he was bundled into the boot of a car near his home and driven to a container where he was threatened and told to resign as a director of Quinn Industrial Holdings. Lawyers for the State said the EU court had decided that the legality of retention of data was a matter for national courts alone.

Lawyers for the State have told the Special Criminal Court that gardaí were entitled to use mobile phone data in their investigation of the abduction and assault on Quinn Industrial Holdings director Kevin Lunney.

Sean Guerin SC has continued his submissions to the three-judge, non-jury court, saying that the Court of Justice of the European Union does not prohibit the mass retention of mobile phone data. Quoting a recent Spanish case that went before the European court, Mr Guerin said the EU court had decided that the legality of retention of data was a matter for national courts alone.