Legal arguments accounted for most of the first day of the trial. This one will run and run, writes Kathy Sheridan
The scene verged on cosy as Cloverhill courthouse rose to host the Central Criminal Court for the first time. A spacious, airy room, a brand new jury box and a dock that stayed empty. The five defendants had their front row seats reserved in the well of the court, with the media immediately behind.
The five aged from 20 to 31, had been led in through a tunnel connecting Wheatfield prison with the courthouse about 20 to 30 feet away. Small, pale and younger-looking than their years - apart from the eldest of them, the more heavy set David "Frog Eye" Stanners - they appeared nervous at first, before relaxing into occasional exchanges and laughs among themselves during breaks. One or two of them turning to glance occasionally at the four women isolated at the back, beside the exit.
One of the women, was Mrs Sophia Keane, the widow of the 36-year-old murder victim. Despite the heavy security and airport-style metal detector set up for visitors, the public failed to show, so the attendance mainly comprised a cluster of plain clothes gardaí, 12 wigged barristers, their solicitors and aides, about a dozen media and a small, brief flurry of boys and girls from Old Bawn Community School which triggered the only bout of interest among the defendants.
For the students of Old Bawn, it would have been an early lesson in just how exceedingly slow the wheels of justice grind. The sombre jury of five women and seven men had barely taken their seats at around 11.15 when they were dismissed for legal argument.
When they resumed at 12.20, Mr Justice Paul Carney, with great deliberation, warned them about "a great deal of inaccuracy" in the media. He then proceeded to offer what he called "a neutral example" of such commentary, sending a small frisson through the assembled media, and picked on John Bowman of all people.
"Someone you would expect to be a commentator of great precision, John Bowman of Questions & Answers Yet he described this as the Circuit Court. So you can't expect precision everywhere There is a great deal of material floatin' around which is quite simply not true".Finally, at around 12.30, prosecuting counsel, Mr Denis Vaughan-Buckley rose to give his opening address. The jury heard that as well as a "Frog Eye", the accused five also include a "Smokie" and a "Noddy", while back in Limerick is a "Mr X" who has yet to present himself. There was talk of a .38 revolver, of balaclavas, hands tied with grey cellophane, of as many as 15 stab wounds and how David "Frog Eye" Stanners is alleged to have told his victim, "this is the last face you're going to see".
The first witness , a Garda mapping expert, was called at 2.50. One house was missing off the maps, said counsel for 24-year-old James McCarthy. This was the house of Mr Pa McCarthy, where his client will claim, he spent the time material to this case, watching TV.
It wound up at 4.00 p.m., just as the State's second witness, Garda Gerard Fitzgeraldtook the stand. This one will run and run.