Five gardai, a barrister and an administrator at the Chief State Solicitor's Office escaped injury yesterday when a lift plunged one floor down into the basement at the Four Courts.
Mr Joseph Barnes, a barrister, and Mr William Murray, of the CSO, were with five gardai. They were going to a court on the second-floor of the 200-year-old building for bail applications at 10.30 a.m.
Shortly after they entered the wooden lift, close to the information desk on the ground floor, it fell and hit the basement.
All of them, very shaken, were trapped inside and the alarm was raised by Mr Murray who had his mobile telephone. They were released after five minutes by Four Courts' commissionaire, Mr Albert Byrne, and went up to the court and dealt with the bail applications before Mr Justice Kinlen.
Mr Murray told The Irish Times that they got into the lift on the ground floor.
"We were going up to the second-floor and we pressed for No 2 and suddenly it shunted and just dropped and hit the basement. It was pretty frightening and we were a little bit shaken afterwards."
He said his mobile phone would not work at first in the lift and he had to squeeze nearer the door to make a call.
"We were more anxious to get to court and we were trying to get word to the judge," Mr Murray said.
All were shaken but nobody was injured. Mr Barnes is a son of the DPP, Mr Eamon Barnes.
The lift, although old, is rarely out of order, unlike other lifts in the complex.