n a case that stretched from a photo shoot on the beaches of Bermuda to a bank account on Wall Street, it was inevitable cultural stumbling blocks would occur.

Isaac did his best during his evidence for Thompkins defence case to explain to the occasionally puzzled-looking jury about unfamiliar aspects of life on The Rock.

Of Cup Match ? where he took Thompkins in 2003 ? he explained: ?It was a cricket sporting event we have. It?s supposed to celebrate our emancipation from slavery.?

Perhaps realising American jurors might be clueless as to what cricket is, he continued: ?It?s like Christmas in Bermuda. I wanted everyone to come down to experience the festivities ? everything shuts down for three days in July.?

The cultural confusion did not end there. Isaac then had to explain what he meant about meeting Premier Alex Scott at Cup Match: ?He?s the leader of our country. The head of our Government. I guess like the President of the United States.?

He also told the jury about his Gombey troupe, which made a visit to the States that Thompkins accompanied: ?We dance to a drum and put on costumes.?

When it came to court procedure, it was hard to imagine even the most high-spirited of judges in Bermuda leading the jury in a set of wake-up exercises like Judge Laura Taylor Swain. During a break in a lengthy address to the jury she said: ?Lets all stand up and do a little stretch for a second? ? encouraging everyone in court to join in as she rolled her head and swung her arms.

Meanwhile Starbucks ? the global coffee chain that has passed Bermuda by ? also loomed large. Jurors trooped in each morning clutching enormous vats of latte, perhaps in an effort to stay awake during presentations of financial charts. But the 12 men and women literally took the biscuit (or at least tried to) when they were sent out to deliberate. While it is normal for jurors to send notes to judges at this stage, one of their requests caused Judge Swain?s eyebrows to shoot up.

?It says they want Starbucks. And they would love and appreciate cookies too,? she read aloud to the assembled lawyers. In a disappointing move for the caffeine-hungry jurors, Judge Swain sent a note back regretting that the court could not accommodate their request for additional beverages.