Trouble flared as two men and a youth appeared in court yesterday accused of murdering Traveller John Mongan in Belfast.
Plastic bottles and cups were thrown into the dock from the public gallery amid scenes of uproar.
The disturbances broke out after 32-year-old Christopher Stokes, of Glengalliagh Park, and Edward Stokes (36), of Cornshell Fields, both in Derry, came before Belfast Magistrates Court charged with Mr Mongan's murder. A 15-year-old youth appeared with them also accused of the killing in west Belfast last Thursday.
Mr Mongan (30) was attacked in front of his heavily pregnant wife Julia at their home in Fallswater Street.
Edward Stokes faces an additional charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mrs Mongan.
As the accused stood in the dock up to 20 people stood up in the public gallery and started shouting obscenities.
Despite a heavy police presence, objects were thrown over the glass partition into the dock. Magistrate Peter Murphy made several demands for silence, and at one stage threatened to clear the court. He said: "This is a court of law. If the public wish to hear the proceedings they must do so in silence."
Eventually a detective inspector told the court he could connect all three with the murder. They were all remanded in custody to appear again next month.