THE Special Criminal Court hearing started with a brief hiccup over a mistaken identity and ended with a judge speaking sternly to a State lawyer.
Much of the 3 1/2 hours in between was taken up with three defence barristers questioning Garda witness after Garda witness to establish the exact circumstances of the release and rearrest of the accused men.
At 10.55 a.m. five Garda vans brought the accused men from the Bridewell to the grey stone court building on nearby Green Street. About 30 plainclothes and uniformed gardai crowded into the court room as the hearing started at 11.25 a.m.
All the accused men were dressed casually, apart from the Brixton prison escaper, Mr Nessan Quinlivan, who wore a check suit jacket. Onlookers drifted off as the accused men were charged and remanded ink custody.
As the first five of the 15 defendants took their seats in the dock, a garda leaned over to another garda and, gesturing to one of them, said: "That man shouldn't be here." The wrong Mr Kavanagh - Joseph instead of Patrick - had been led into the courtroom before his turn. Mr Joseph Kavanagh was led off until his scheduled appearance later, and Mr Patrick Kavanagh brought in.
The last man in the dock was Mr Michael Cully, who had no legal representative because he was arrested only yesterday afternoon. Mr Justice Robert Barr said "yet another mistake" had been made in the case.
The judge instructed Mr Peter Charleton SC, for the DPP, that his solicitor should get in touch with Mr Cully's solicitor "within minutes of this court rising" and inform him of Mr Cully's circumstances.
Mr Charleton replied that he would be happy to comply with the court ruling. "Of course you are, you have no choice," said Mr Justice Barr. "Now kindly go on with it and have the man charged."