The judge at the trial of Anton Mulder for the murder of his Irish-born wife yesterday made an order prohibiting two people from the precincts of the court.
Mr Mulder (44) of Maelduin, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, who comes from South Africa, pleaded not guilty to the murder but guilty to the manslaughter of his wife, Colleen Suzanne Mulder. She was found dead in the bedroom of their house on December 17th, 2004.
At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Philip O'Sullivan made an order excluding Colleen Mulder's brother, William Carson Pollock, and his wife, Andrea, from the grounds of the courts for the duration of the trial. He made this order after the foreman of the jury said Colleen Mulder's brother had been making himself a little bit familiar with a member of the jury.
The jury were also aware that last Tuesday a person, later identified as Mr Pollock, was incarcerated by Mr Justice Paul Carney for causing a commotion when the jury was being selected. One of the jurors said that on Wednesday of this week Mr Pollock approached one of the jurors outside the court, and asked to borrow the person's newspaper.
Mr Pollock read out the article about the case, and told the juror he was the person who caused the commotion. It was also claimed Mr Pollock had greeted and smiled at that juror. The juror in question told the court he felt this "familiarity was wrong". However, he felt he would be able to carry on his duties.
The case, which is being heard by a jury of 10 men and two women, resumes on Monday.
In evidence yesterday, Mr Andreas Johannes Loubser, also a South African, said he had a conversation on December 8th with Mr Mulder outside the fast-food restaurant where they worked. In the course of this, the accused told him that he was going to her (Colleen's) house up north and would kill her.
Mr Mulder, originally from Durban in South Africa, also said to him it was "very easy to do things in this country", that he would only do "five or six years".
The accused, Mr Loubser claimed, was worried Colleen would take their children to the North, where she was from.
In response to prosecution counsel Gerard Clarke SC, Mr Loubser said that, at the time, he was working as a chef at a branch of KFC. Mr Mulder was a regional manager with the company.
Mr Loubser said he got on with the Mulders, but added his impression was the relationship between the couple was not good.
In a previous conversation, in late 2004, Mr Loubser said Mr Mulder told him Colleen had left him for another man.
Under cross-examination from defence counsel Roddy O'Hanlon SC, he said that while he took what Mr Mulder said seriously, he did not go to the Garda.
Mr Loubser said that did not feel Mr Mulder was shooting off his mouth when he said he was going to kill Colleen, because he feared losing his children.
Sgt James Troy said Mr Mulder claimed in statements to gardaí, taken on 17th December, he had barricaded himself in a bedroom at night because he feared for his safety due to threats by his wife.