Addressing what it described as “the tablets matter”, the defence asked the court to dissolve the jury, arguing that jurors had been exposed to more than 400 media headlines during the trial.“We are therefore asking for the Trial by Jury to be dissolved,” Dr Charles Mercieca told Judge Edwina Grima.The defence said a number of the headlines contained facts which had either been declared inadmissible or which neither witnesses nor the press should have been able to refer to.While acknowledging that headlines should be read in context, the defence argued that “a heading is used to hook viewers, for the clicks and to grab people’s attention.”It said jurors could therefore have been exposed to the most sensational part of an article, including headlines suggesting that the Degiorgio brothers’ testimony aligned with the defence’s arguments.“No one should report on this and come to this conclusion, apart from the jury,” the defence argued.The lawyers also pointed to headlines about matters not raised in court, including “My mum died without seeing justice, Daphne’s sister writes as trial continues” and “Momentum calls for investigations into anyone implicated in the trial references”.The defence also raised concerns about photographs used with articles, arguing that they could prejudice the jury and portray Fenech negatively.“The jurors had access to the most sensational part of an article,” the defence said.It argued that the safeguards intended to protect jurors from outside influence had been undermined.“We let outsiders influences infiltrate the jury,” the defence said.The prosecution has closed its case and the defence has now begun presenting its witnesses.Fenech has pleaded not guilty to complicity in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and criminal association.“I am asking the court to dissolve the jury,” the defence told the court.The trial is ongoing. All allegations remain contested, and anyone not convicted is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.•