The ritual stepping in and stepping out continues

Day four in Cloverhill courthouse and, as is now the ritual, it began with legal argument. That kept the jury out until around 11.20.

Once in, they got their third warning from Mr Justice Carney, that they should reach a verdict on the evidence they had heard in the court and have no regard to any media whatever.

"No matter what appears in the newspapers," he added, "this case is going to proceed to a jury verdict", upon which defence counsel, John Edwards, applied to have the jury whisked out again. They had lasted about six minutes.

Four minutes later they were back, to be informed by the judge that he had been asked to discharge himself from the case. His last statement, he explained, had been interpreted as giving the media "carte blanche" to do what they wanted.

But he had made it clear to them, he said, that he would act if the press behaved in a manner "contrary to the law". He finished: "This is a case that cannot be dealt with on the basis of everybody being too precious all the time".

The State's chief witness, Owen Treacy, entered the witness box at 11.35 a.m. and remained there until 4 p.m., with only the 80-minute break for lunch to interfere with his cross-examination by Blaise O'Carroll SC, representing one of the accused, 20-year-old Desmond Dundon.

A little more was learned about Treacy, a 31-year-old breadman and father of two. His "great passion" was horses, he said, with the emphasis on "was". He owns 14 of them; his uncle Kieran had approximately seven or eight.

Beyond admitting that he knew of his uncle's "falling out" with the Ryan family, he knew nothing else, he claimed. All he knew about guns was learned from television and the Discovery channel. He was not a member of any "camp" - "My camp is 96 St Munchin's Street, St Mary's Park, that's my house, my camp" - nor was he involved in any feud: "If I was involved in a feud I wouldn't be here today, looking for justice for my uncle".

In a relatively relaxed courtroom, where the five accused have taken to resting their feet against the wood panel separating the public benches from the barristers, the witness spoke clearly and confidently, frequently addressing "my lord" and "members of the jury".

He put Mr O'Carroll straight on the difference between a jacket - which was still missing, with his BMW car keys and house keys in it - and a hoodie, which was not. "My lord, a jacket is a jacket, a hoodie is a hoodie".

While being urged to locate a particular sentence in a statement, he looked to the judge: "My lord, if this man [Mr O'Carroll] could take his time . . . " To which the judge triggered some hilarity by responding: "Well, Mr O'Carroll is well known for taking his time". It was not the only judicial comment about Mr O'Carroll's examination style. After a lengthy phase, repeatedly teasing out the reasons behind Mr Treacy's advice to his alleged abductors not to take Kieran Keane's car, the judge interjected: "I think I heard that about half an hour ago".

Mr O'Carroll continues today.