I’ve been off work for the past week and a half…engaged with other things than court matters (a wedding anniversary among other things) but I was back in court this morning briefly.  The Central Criminal Court isn’t fully back from it’s break until next Monday but there are various bits of court business to take care of in the mean time.

Today, and the reason for my attendance was Eamonn Lillis.  If the name doesn’t ring an immediate bell and you’re in Ireland I’ll refresh your mind about the case.  Lillis’s wife, Celine Cawley – a former model who had once appeared briefly in a James Bond Film – was found brutally murdered in December last year.

It was a case always guaranteed to get the press pulses racing…apart from the Bond connection the deceased had run a film production company together.  Newspaper reports at the time went into detail of the crime and her background almost gleefully speculating that she had met her death at the hands of a random assailant.

But days later, her husband was arrested and will now stand trial in January.  It will be a big trial and get a lot of attention.  These cases always do.  Already today, his defence team expressed their concern about the media attention the case was receiving. There were only four of us in court – when the trial begins there will be considerably more.

Lillis came into court looking serious in a neat dark suit.  During the short proceedings he sat alert in the bench opposite the jury box, where he will watch his trial in several months time. Before the defence could make their point the prosecution stood up to apply for a court order.

The order was simple, Eamonn Lillis was forbidden from any contact with one of the prosecution witnesses in the case.  The matter was over in a matter of minutes.  The order granted to the prosecution, no comment made on the media attention.

It’s all in waiting until next year when it will become the main event.  These are just the points that get us there.