Mistaken eyewitness evidence played a key role in no case submissions presented by defence lawyers Elizabeth Christopher and Leo Mills at the Wellington Oval trial on Tuesday.

Ms Christopher is representing Ki-jah Russell Butterfield, 21, of Paget, who is charged with going armed to a public place with an offensive weapon in a manner to cause terror. Butterfield pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Kavin Earlstone Smith, 25, of Southampton, and Wolde Trott, 21, of Paget are also facing weapons related charges. Trott and Smith have both pleaded not guilty to possession of an offensive weapon and going armed to a public place in a manner to cause terror.

Ms Christopher said several witnesses who testified to seeing Butterfield at the football game ?never gave evidence of what kind of knife or any purported ID of clothing?.

The trial of the men charged in connection with the outbreak of violence at the Friendship Trophy final on April 4 has stretched into its second month.

Defence lawyers claim that video evidence is not conclusive and does not present a clear picture of what happened at the game.

Ms Christopher said Mr. Butterfield was never seen to be wielding a weapon. ?All he was seen doing was sheathing a machete,? she said, adding there was no evidence to suggest Butterfield went armed to the game with the intent to cause terror.

Mr. Mills also made no case submissions on behalf of his clients Smith and Trott.

?There is no truthful evidence that they left home with those weapons or were seen on the sports ground collecting those weapons. I would suggest to this court that the defendants went to the match ... armed with nothing more than the fee for that soccer match,? he said.

He pointed out that a Police witness, Det. Con. Garic Swainson, agreed that there were gaps in the DVD evidence which did not represent all of the events which unfolded that day.

The case was dropped against Jamie Ford, 23, of Warwick last week. Ford was charged with possession of an offensive weapon, going to a public place in a manner to cause terror, and assaulting Antoine Anderson.

The trial, before Magistrate William Francis, was adjourned until tomorrow to give prosecution lawyers a chance to respond to the no case submissions.