Cork paused to let that fact sink in. ‘It may therefore be inferred that the last thing anyone would do is tear it apart and use it as a Trojan Horse, cramming as many packages of cocaine into every available nook and cranny. But that is exactly what was done. Because this car is a fake. It was designed to closely resemble a 1962 classic. But it is actually a confection of fibreglass laid on the chassis of a VW Beetle.’

He removed his glasses again and smiled at the jurors, as if to say, I know, incredible, I’m with you on that!

‘Rather fortuitously, the Border Force officer on duty had a particular specialist interest in classic cars. And unlike the Trojan Horse, there was no one to persuade him that everything was fine, or to allay his suspicions. If you could turn to Tab Z, please.’ He waited while they all did so, the rustle of pages turning the only sound in the courtroom for a brief while. Each folder was shared between two jurors. Meg shared hers with Maisy Waller.

‘There you will see images of the drugs in situ, and gradually being removed. This took some time.’ He smiled again, waiting for them to study the photographs.

‘None of this is in dispute,’ he went on. ‘We know when the fake Ferrari arrived, we know where it was loaded, we know the weight and value of the drugs. The question you need to consider, and the answer you need to be sure of is this: to whom did the drugs belong? We will ask you to be patient when we call the evidence of ownership, it is complex – and we say deliberately so. There are a number of shell companies and offshore holdings used to muddy the waters. The prosecution will call experts to help you navigate through them. But having done so, you will see there is clear evidence that the car and drugs were ultimately owned by the defendant, Terence Gready.’

Again, he smiled at the jurors. ‘I appreciate that what I’ve told you might sound a little dry, so I’m going to give you a flavour of what happened in the Port of Newhaven Customs shed at approximately 4.30 a.m. on Monday November 26th last year.’

He stated in detail the events that unfolded leading up to the search of the Ferrari.

Cork gave the jurors a theatrical gesture of shock with his arms. ‘But in the early stages of the examination of the vehicle, after suspicious packages were found concealed inside the car’s spare tyre, Michael Starr assaulted the Border Force officer by punching him in the face and breaking his glasses, as well as assaulting a second officer, and then ran off.’ He looked around the court, pausing for a moment. ‘You will hear shortly afterwards he was detained by the police, hardly The Great Escape!’