A Dublin Circuit Criminal Court judge has been told that George Redmond could not get a fair trial on a corruption charge due to the adverse media publicity to which he was subjected.
Judge Joseph Matthews is hearing submissions in relation to an application by Mr Redmond's defence team to stop the scheduled trial of the former assistant Dublin city and county manager.
Mr Redmond (81) has pleaded not guilty to receiving Ir£10,000 on a date between June 1st, 1985, and June 1st, 1986, as an inducement or reward for doing or forbearing to do anything in respect of a compulsory purchase order by Dublin City Council on 167 acres at Buzzardstown and Coolmine.
Judge Matthews had ordered last Monday that the details of the hearing could not be reported for legal reasons but removed that restriction on Thursday following submissions to him by Eoin McCullough SC, representing national newspaper groups.
Yesterday was day five of what had been listed as a three-day motion, and was the first day that the proceedings could be reported.
Brendan Grehan SC, for Mr Redmond, presented what he described as a "tiny fraction of a per cent" of the publicity surrounding his client.
Judge Matthews heard a portion of a radio show and was shown a television programme broadcast during the summer, both of which focused on Mr Redmond.
Mr Grehan also read extracts from a book and from numerous materials on the internet, all of which, he said, related to his client in an adverse manner.
Mr Grehan said the court would have to take a "blind leap of faith" that a jury would not be prejudiced by adverse publicity which was "so all-embracing, so long and so one-sided".
Written submissions were handed in from the defence team and from Patrick J McCarthy SC, for the prosecution.
Judge Matthews said he would use the weekend to digest the material presented to him and would conclude the hearing on Monday.