The courtroom can be a place of tension and raw emotion. TV programmes and films plunder the legal system as inspiration for their storylines and drama.
The courtroom is a place where the worst, and, less often, the best of humanity is revealed. And when those accused of serious crimes start to blame each other, it is as if the touch paper has been lit, as an already fraught atmosphere turns febrile.
But what went on behind the scenes of the trial of five men who were accused of murdering a man at a set of traffic lights in south Manchester was extraordinary.
Alleged threats made against a leading KC, and allegations of the accused attacking their co-defendants in prison, Sadiq Al-Lami’s killers would not go down without a fight.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk