‘Well that is interesting, because I happen to have a Defence Statement that has your name and your signature on it. Would you like to take a look?’

Colliver shot him another angry, silent glare.

‘No? Well I’m afraid we’re going to do that anyway.’

Michael turned to the court usher.

‘Madam Usher, I wonder if this document can be shown to the witness. There’s also a copy for His Lordship, one for the court record and six copies for the jury to share. I have additional copies for my learned friends but I can pass those to them myself.’

He handed the documents to the usher before turning back to Colliver.

‘Please take a look at the document you’re about to be handed, Mr Colliver, and confirm for me that you recognise it.’

The court usher handed Colliver the paperwork, who took a minute or two to read through it. The jury, judge and barristers all did the same. Finally, Colliver nodded his head.

‘I’m sorry, Mr Colliver, but we need to hear your answer. For the tape, you understand.’

‘Yes.’ Colliver’s voice was strained. His annoyance barely below the surface. ‘I recognise it.’

‘Then please confirm for me that this is a Defence Statement, prepared on your instructions to your lawyers and signed by you on the 1st of February of this year.’

‘Yes. That’s what it is.’

‘And please confirm that you were advised by your lawyers that this document should accurately reflect your defence to the charge of murder.’

‘Yes.’

‘The defence you would advance at trial.’

‘Yes.’

‘And that anything you did not mention in the document that later formed a part of your defence – or any inconsistencies between the document and your ultimate defence – could be used by a jury to help prove your guilt.’

‘Somethin’ like that, yeah.’

‘So fairly similar to the caution you’re given before you’re interviewed?’

‘Yeah.’

‘And you understood that at the time?’

‘I ain’t thick, mate.’

‘Oh, I know that, Mr Colliver. You’re far from thick. And yet, despite your intelligence, there is no mention in that document of Darren O’Driscoll, is there?’

Colliver looked like he was already regretting his last answer. Finally he could see what Michael was seeking to achieve. He stayed silent.

‘The jury have it,’ Michael continued. ‘They can see for themselves whether you answer me or not. So we can move on to what concerns me, Mr Colliver. Which is that there is also no mention of Simon Kash, is there?’

Michael paused but still Colliver had no response.

‘Or of your supposed presence at the scene of the crime, just minutes after the Galloway brothers had been murdered.’

No response.

‘In fact, Mr Colliver, all you really say is that you had absolutely nothing to do with the murders. That you knew nothing about them. And that you were elsewhere when they were carried out. Is that not correct?’

From Colliver’s hunted look, Michael did not think it would take much more to push him over the edge.