'BORDER Fox' Dessie O'Hare (62) has pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin to assault and false imprisonment.
The former INLA man, of Slate Rock Road, Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, today admitted assaulting John Roche in June 2015.
The incident happened at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin.
He also pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole and Saggart on the same date.
O'Hare, who initially joined the IRA in south Armagh as a teenager, became the most wanted man in Ireland after he and three other INLA members kidnapped John O'Grady in 1987 and demanded IR£1.5m in ransom.
The Dublin dentist had the tips of his little fingers hacked off with a hammer and chisel during his horrific ordeal and finally freed after 23 days following a shoot-out in Cabra in Dublin.
O'Hare later served 16 years of a 40-year sentence in prison.
Defence lawyer Sean Guerin told the three-judge, non-jury court today that a trial wasn't required and Mr O’Hare could be arraigned on two of the counts he faced.
The barrister said he would ask the court to take two other counts into consideration.
The registrar read the two counts on the indictment to O’Hare to which he pleaded guilty.
Mr Guerin also said his client has had some engagement with "professionals" and the defence wanted to have up-to-date assistance for the sentence hearing.
O'Hare was granted continuing bail ahead of sentencing on April 3.
