It was time to turn them.

‘Mr Colliver, you are the main witness for the prosecution in a murder trial against people who you claim were your friends. If what you say is true – and let’s just be clear, I’m saying that it is not true – then surely you’re the very definition of a grass.’

Peter Epstein QC was on his feet in an instant.

‘My Lord, it is utterly inappropriate for one of Her Majesty’s counsel to be calling a witness in a case of this seriousness a “grass”.’

‘I agree, Mr Epstein.’ Judge Levitt turned towards Michael. ‘I believe an apology is in order, Mr Devlin?’

‘Of course, My Lord.’ Michael’s eyes had not left Colliver’s. ‘I apologise for suggesting that your actions make you a grass, Mr Colliver. What you are and what you are not is, of course, for the jury to decide.’

‘Mr Devlin! Mr Colliver is not on trial here.’

This time Judge Levitt’s intervention was almost a shout. Michael ignored it and continued.

‘Mr Colliver, despite telling this jury that you already knew full well who had murdered the Galloway brothers – that you had in fact driven their killers from the scene of the crime – you did not mention any of this when arrested and interviewed for that very crime.’

‘No. No I didn’t.’

‘And you say that’s because you are not a grass.’

‘That’s right.’

‘But that can’t be right, though, can it, Mr Colliver?’

Michael leaned forward onto his wooden lectern. Both arms crossed and supporting his weight. Michael’s tone was now almost conversational. He saw the confusion it caused in Colliver’s eyes.

‘I dunno what you’re talking about, mate.’

‘Let me explain, Mr Colliver. You were under arrest for murder. So you were in terrible, terrible trouble. Facing a possible life sentence. Still you would not talk. But then, many months later, you did tell the police what you knew. Didn’t you?’

‘Yes.’

‘But nothing had changed, had it? When you decided to speak to the police – when you decided to name Darren O’Driscoll and Simon Kash – you were still in exactly the same position. Facing the same allegation of murder. The same life sentence.’

‘And?’

‘And? And, Mr Colliver? Surely you can follow this? You say you didn’t give your account because you’re not a grass. But then later, when nothing had changed, you gave it anyway. So your initial silence cannot be excused by the fact that, as you say, you’re not a grass. Can it? Because you ultimately told. And all that had changed was that your trial was closer.’

‘What d’you want me to say?’ Colliver seemed genuinely confused.

‘I want you to answer my original question. You could have told the police everything at the time of your interview. Assuming, of course, that what you’ve told this jury is true. And yet you answered “no comment”. Why, Mr Colliver? And don’t say it’s because you’re not a grass, because we’ve established that can’t be the case.’