A judge has criticised gardai for arresting a man in front of a jury panel due to try him later this week in a criminal defamation case.
The trial had been adjourned by Judge Frank O'Donnell because the jury panel had heard the wrong charges when the criminal defamation counts were being read out to the accused.
The man was remanded on continuing bail. Shortly afterwards, his solicitor told the court her client had been arrested on foot of a seven-month-old bench warrant as about six members of a jury panel were leaving the court. Gardai told the court the arrest was done discreetly.
Earlier, there had been a heated exchange in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court between the accused and prosecuting counsel Mr Adrian Mannering BL, who had objected to an application to have the trial adjourned on the grounds that the accused had a medical appointment.
Mr Mannering said a bomb scare in the Four Courts was among a number of "curious events" which had occurred since the trial was due to begin.
Counsel added that a letter allegedly given to the accused by a hospital clinic had not been dated and was not enough reason to prevent the trial from starting.
The accused claimed Mr Mannering had engaged in "character assassination".
Judge O'Donnell described the arrest of the accused as "very insensitive", but said he had no doubt the accused was trying to put off the start of his trial. The judge said the arrest could prejudice the views of potential jurors in the case.