It emerged after a judge committed 27 Romanian squatters to prison for contempt of court that only one of them had been legally summoned to appear in court.
The court heard gardaí will have to arrest the remaining 26 at a Dublin flats complex and bring them before the court on Thursday.
A mix-up over who was and who was not legally summoned before the court meant gardaí detained a Romanian man and 11 Romanian women, one of them eight months pregnant, in a courtroom at the Four Courts for two hours.
Judge Roderick Maguire, who directed the jailing of 27 named squatters for contempt, had not ordered gardaí to hold 11 unidentified people.
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There were screams and tears when gardaí told the 11 people, some of them mothers of young children, they could not leave the court until transport arrived for their transfer to prison.
It was two hours later that the judge said people not properly served with official documentation were free to leave.
One woman properly before the court was told by Judge Maguire he would not send her to prison today on the undertaking that she will vacate the flats complex overnight and appear in court again tomorrow.
Court proceedings to evict the squatters from 10 flats at 9 Belvedere Place, Dublin, by retired solicitor and landlord Mel Kilrane, have been continuing for several months on the basis they were squatting in a dangerous building that is a serious fire risk. Mr Kilrane previously obtained court orders directing the squatters to move out. These were ignored.
Earlier, barrister Joe Jackson, who appeared for Mr Kilrane, told the court his client has already been fined by the District Court for breaching fire regulations. He said workmen for Mr Kilrane attempted to enter the property to carry out repairs and renovations but were met by angry squatters, some producing knives.
Mr Jackson told other Circuit Civil Court judges there were many children among the squatters, who claimed they could not afford legal representation. He said there was an ongoing health hazard as the squatters were living in atrocious squalor and “among their own faeces”.
Making orders earlier to attach and commit the named Romanians to prison for contempt for ignoring previous orders, Judge Maguire said no one will thank the court if there is a fire and loss of life.
At earlier hearings, judges expressed concern for the rehousing of the squatters, many of whom have children at local schools.
The proceedings were adjourned until Thursday morning.
