Joan Burton has told the ‘Jobstown Seven’ trial that she was "terrified" when a "large menacing crowd" of protestors surrounded a garda car she was in.

The former Tánaiste has been giving evidence in the trial of Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and six others who are accused of falsely imprisoning her.

 When her name was called to give evidence, Ms Burton had to make her way through a packed courtroom to take her seat in the witness box.

In the dock just over her right shoulder sat Deputy Paul Murphy and the six others accused of falsely imprisoning her and her adviser Karen O’Connell during a water charge protest in Jobstown in 2014.

She said she felt "terrified" when a garda car she and Ms O’Connell were ushered to was surrounded.

She said Ms O’Connell began to cry and they put their arms around each other in the back of the car.

She said she spotted Deputy Murphy with a megaphone and said he looked pretty happy with himself and was smiling very broadly.

A garda jeep they were moved to was also surrounded and she described how she felt she was "running for her life" as the crowd followed her when she was told to switch to another garda vehicle.

She is now being cross-examined by the defence.