Dwyer murder trial is adjourned

The trial of a 42-year-old man charged with murdering Elaine O’Hara in South Dublin more than two years ago has been adjourned until tomorrow.

Graham Dwyer of Kerrymount Close, Foxrock, Dublin, is charged with murdering the 37-year-old Dubliner on August 22, 2012.

He was arraigned before the Central Criminal Court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms O’Hara on that date at Killakee, Rathfarnham.

A jury of five women and seven men was sworn in to hear the eight-week trial, which was due to begin yesterday morning.

However, Mr Justice Anthony Hunt told the jury the case was not in a position to proceed immediately and would now commence tomorrow.

He apologised for the delay and thanked the jurors for serving on such a long and difficult trial.

He said the law did not allow him to offer them any recompense.

However, he said that if the case was anything as long and difficult as promised, he would give them substantial exemption from further jury service.

He said he was also concious that virtually everyone else involved in the case would get paid, yet the jurors, the most important people, did not.

He then moved on to their roles as judges of fact in the case and told them that nobody else’s opinion was relevant, including his own.

“It appears the case has, is, and will attract attention from the media,” he said.

The judge told them that they did not need to look at the media coverage as they would be present for all of the trial.

He said that even straight-forward court reporting could be partial, but said that some of the colour or opinion writing was “absolutely biased” and written “only to flog newspapers”.

He also told the jurors not to discuss the case with anybody else, including their families.

“What they think doesn’t matter, he said. “They haven’t sat through the case.”

He then said that he now had to deal with some matters in their absence and asked them to come back tomorrow, when the prosecution would give an opening statement.