Five relatives and friends of a Tipperary man who cheered in the Central Criminal Court when he was found not guilty of rape last week have been fined €100 each.
Mr Justice Paul Carney gave them seven days to pay the fine or serve seven days' imprisonment in default.
He had ordered them to appear before him today with legal representation following their outburst.
Mr Brendan Nix SC told Mr Justice Carney he had been instructed to "humbly apologise" on behalf of the five whom he said were members and friends of the accused man's family.
Mr Nix said their outburst was "a momentary relapse due to a release from the stress and trauma of the five-day trial rather than a demonstration of triumphalism."
He added that they were decent people who had never been before a court or in trouble with the law in their lives and there would never be a repetition of such behaviour by them.
Mr Justice Carney said there had been other recent examples of such behaviour in the court when juries brought in verdicts and this practice was quite intimidating on either side in a case.
"It is a practice which is going to be put down," said Mr Justice Carney.
The jury of five women and seven men deliberated for almost four hours before returning not guilty verdicts that the accused (34) had raped and sexually assaulted a now 39-year-old woman in a house in a Tipperary town on February 20th, 2000.
The woman had told the jury she went to bed in her boyfriend's house and was woken by the accused having sexual intercourse with her.