The jury in the Jobstown false imprisonment trial is expected to resume deliberating on its verdicts tomorrow.
Legal argument continued today in the trial of six men accused of the false imprisonment of former tánaiste Joan Burton and her adviser Karen O’Connell at a water charges protest in Dublin in November 2014.
The jury began considering its verdicts yesterday but was told to suspend deliberations while legal issues were dealt with by the court.
At the start of the trial in April all six pleaded not guilty to falsely Ms Burton and Ms O'Connell in Jobstown on 15 November 2014.
The prosecution says Ms Burton and Ms O’Connell were trapped in garda cars for up to three hours during the protest.
Defence counsel argued that the men had taken part in a peaceful political protest and could not be held responsible for the violence of others that day.
They said their clients had obstructed a vehicle but their actions did not amount to false imprisonment.
They said Ms Burton and Ms O’Connell were placed in the cars on garda advice and remained in the cars on the same advice.
Any threat to their safety was not caused by the six men on trial, they said.
The defendants are Solidarity TD Paul Murphy, 34, from Kingswood Heights in Tallaght, Councillor Michael Murphy, 53, from Whitechurch Way in Ballyboden in Dublin, Councillor, Kieran Mahon, 39, from Bolbrook Grove in Tallaght; 34-year-old Scott Masterson, from Carrigmore Drive in Tallaght, 71-year-old Frank Donaghy from Alpine Rise in Tallaght, and 46-year-old Michael Banks from Brookview Green in Tallaght.
The charges against 50-year-old Ken Purcell from Kiltalown Green in Tallaght were dropped at an earlier stage in the trial following legal argument in the absence of the jury.
The trial is entering its ninth week.
