MR REYNOLDS was "a lonely man in this hearing", the jury was told during the 15th day of his libel hearing yesterday.
Mr James Price QC, counsel for the Sunday Times, was discussing the subject of Mr Reynolds's friends.
After Mr Reynolds and his daughter had given evidence on the eighth day of the hearing there was "an earthquake". An earthquake which shook the defence team to its foundations, he added.
"Not one of Mr Reynolds's close friends or colleagues, men and women who were there with him while all those events were unfolding, who spoke to Mr Whelehan, who prepared the speeches, who listened to Mr Fitzsimons's advice, who negotiated the deal with the Labour Party, not one of them was prepared to come here and give evidence on his behalf.
"He is a lonely man in this trial," he said. "For our part we considered it inconceivable he would not have witnesses to come forward."
Mr Price listed those he expected to see Mr Charlie McCreevy, "a key man in this throughout, and a close friend"; Mr Noel Dempsey, chief whip and a minister in the ex-Taoiseach's own department; Dr Martin Manseragh, who had drafted the Tuesday speech.
"And what about Mrs Geoghegan Quinn, the friend who laid her life on the line on Wednesday when she offered to resign to save her prime minister?"
Mr Reynolds had taunted Mr Price with his inability to call witnesses. Dublin was only an hour and 10 minutes away, he said. "Well, it seems an hour and 10 minutes is too much for Mr Reynolds's friends."
Why did they suddenly become shy, he wondered. Was it because they did not want to step aboard a sinking ship?
"Or was the problem that they could have told the truth when cross-examined by me?"
So the former Fianna Fail ministers were afraid to confront Mr Price in the witness box. As for the witness who did appear, but did not give evidence, Mr Fergus Finlay, he was sent home by the Sunday Times legal team when Mr Reynolds's witnesses failed to turn up.
In any case, he would have given mainly hearsay evidence, and it was unlikely this would go unchallenged by Mr Reynolds's counsel.
Later Mr Price asked the jury to consider exactly what kind of man Mr Reynolds was.
"Is he a careful, truthful, scrupulous man? Is he a man like Mr Fitzsimons, for example, or is he a gambler? Is there a streak of recklessness in Mr Reynolds?"