THE jury in the trial of Mr Brendan Patrick O'Donnell was sent away from the Central Criminal Court yesterday until next week.
The six men and six women returned to court yesterday morning after a separate jury had decided last Friday that Mr O'Donnell was fit to continue with his trial.
Mr O'Donnell, wearing a green anorak, check shirt and patterned tie and denim jeans, was present in court.
When the hearing opened at 11 a.m., one of the jurors told the court he had a problem because his father was very ill.
Counsel expressed their sympathy with the juror and Mr Kevin Haugh SC, prosecuting, said it might not cause any immediate problem regarding the trial because he was intending to take up legal matters which would not concern the jury.
Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, defending, said he was sorry to hear of the juror's situation but believed the jury would not be required until next Tuesday at the earliest.
Mr Justice Lavan said he joined with counsel in offering his sympathy to the juror and in the circumstances he was releasing the jury until next Tuesday.
Discussion of legal issues got under way in the jury's absence.
The jury's release came on the tenth day of the trial of Mr O'Donnell (21), of no fixed abode, who has denied 12 charges.
He has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ms Imelda Riney (29) and her son, Liam (3), at a date unknown between April 28th and May 8th, 1994. He has also denied the murder of Father Joseph Walsh (37), the late curate of Eyrecourt, Co Galway, between May 3rd and May 8th, 1994, and falsely imprisoning Father Walsh.
Mr O'Donnell has further denied kidnapping Ms Fiona Sampson and Mr Edward Cleary on May 7th, 1994, and hijacking vehicles driven by both.
He has pleaded not guilty to having a shotgun with intent to endanger life and for unlawful purposes on the same date.
The trial was adjourned on January 25th on the direction of Mr Justice Lavan to allow the issue of Mr O'Donnell's fitness to plead be decided by a separate jury.
That jury last Friday unanimously found Mr O'Donnell was competent to proceed with his trial. Both the defence and prosecution had submitted he was fit to continue with the trial.