Corey O’Brien, 23, was in court yesterday to face a charge of demanding money with menaces, having allegedly demanded €6,000 to satisfy a drug debt.

Before the hearing could proceed, it was pointed out that Mr O’Brien was taking photos with his mobile phone, EchoLive.ie reports.

Judge Olann Kelleher ordered gardaí to seize the phone, which was returned after the photos were deleted.

A sheepish Mr O’Brien told the judge: “I wasn’t taking pictures of you at all. I was just taking a photo of the court.”