‘Now, you may be wondering what motive Gallagher had for wanting Boyle dead. There is no obligation upon the Crown to establish a motive. Indeed, many killings are quite motiveless. In the present case, I suggest that there was a motive and it was commercial rivalry. The two families, the Gallaghers and the Boyles, have been rivals for many years. They have been at war for years. I do not consider that is too strong a way to put it. Kevin Boyle was perceived to be a threat to the Gallagher activities, probably in relation to drugs and the decision was taken to eliminate him and send a clear warning to the rest of the Boyle clan. Ladies and gentlemen, a clear motive for the commission of the crime of murder.’

It was Anderson who reacted angrily.

‘That’s totally out of order. Where the fuck does he get the evidence to back up that assertion? You better do something, James. Cowden will let him get away with anything.’

‘Take it easy. If I start jumping up and down then the jury may think there is some substance to all of this. We don’t want them to put two and two together and come up with the right answer. I’ll deal with it – and him.’

Muirhead sat back in his seat, shook his head and donned the mien of a man who could not actually believe what he was hearing. He caught the eye of a juror who nodded imperceptibly as if to say, ‘Got the message, son. Got the message.’

The Depute went on to demonstrate from the evidence that this was indeed a case of murder. He lead the jury through the various books of photographs and recalled the scene as it had been discovered by the first officers to arrive. The ballistics experts had described the type of weapon, the number of shots and the range. Professor Walker had dealt with the cause of death and proclaimed the wound non-survivable. None of these matters were in any way contentious but Matthews spared no effort in squeezing every ounce of prejudice out of the horror that had been the murder scene.

‘Against the background of this material, ladies and gentlemen, you may have little difficulty in concluding that Kevin Boyle was indeed murdered – by someone. The remaining question is, by whom? Beyond reasonable doubt, the answer to that is the accused, Charles Gallagher.’

There was an explosion in the dock. The background of silence which had enveloped the Depute was shattered. Gallagher shot to his feet and, gripping the dock rail with all his strength, screamed ‘NO!’ Several jurors jumped and even Matthews was startled. Gallagher had been grabbed by his escort but was making no effort to move. He was pulled back down onto his seat and immediately slumped forward, burying his face in his hands.