"Bye-bye, sweetheart." "Oops, sorry." "Could you tell me where I' ll find Thomasin Wolff?" "26." "One floor down." "Thanks." "I' m bringing His Lordship in now." "All rise." "Has the prosecution found its missing witness yet, Mr McMillan?" "I' m afraid it doesn' t seem so, my lord." "The CPS is still trying to contact him." "Well, there will be some difficulty in proceeding without this witness." "And if he does reappear, is he likely to prove any more reliable than he did yesterday, when he refused to give evidence on the previous indictment?" "You see, at this point, I have to question whether" "Mr Atkins isn' t simply about wasting the court' s time or trying to damage the reputation of these two policemen." "My lord, with respect, my lord," "I wonder if the jury should hear such speculation." "I think the jury is sufficiently mature, Mr McMillan." "Such thoughts can' t be novel to them." "We' d do well to trust in the good sense of juries." "I would, at this point, like to make a submission without the jury." "Sure, why not?" "We' re not going anywhere." "Would you mind?" "Grab a cup of coffee or something." "I would like to submit that there is no case to answer against my clients, my lord." "There is an authority, The Crown against Martello," "Though I am familiar with the authority, Mr Stafford-Clark," "I' m not sure how it applies here." "Well, we might need to chip away at the edges, but in all other respects it applies precisely." "Well, then we' d need to have a debate, as to your precise definition of "precisely"." "Martello fell because the victim refused to give evidence." "Mr Alchorn, the victim of the alleged assault in this case, is unable to give evidence because he' s in a coma." "He is still in a coma, I assume, Mr McMillan?" "He was up until the adjournment, my lord." "I haven' t heard to the contrary." "There' ll be no difficulty in continuing with a Section 20 if the prosecution applies to amend the indictment to reckless infliction of grievous bodily harm." "Are you suggesting that I change the indictment, my lord?" "It' s not for me to suggest any such thing, Mr McMillan." "Well, in the absence of your witness," "I suggest we might usefully adjourn." "Give you some more time to try and locate him, yeah?" "All rise." "I' d be surprised if those two policemen in the dock don' t know what happened to that witness." "What are you saying, Coop?" "Have you heard a rumour?" "This place is full of them." "There' s no way those two are going to be convicted, so rumour has it." "Well, I' d like to know why people believe that." "Well, they' re certainly cocky, Judge, the way they behave in court." "Are you going back to the lodgings for lunch?" "Don' t think I could face school dinners again." "Do you know what I really fancy?" "Going down to the Chinese like normal people." "Oh, I' m sure Stephen would like that, Judge." "I think maybe I' ll give him the slip and go on my own." "Yes, can I help you?" "Is this Mr Justice Deed' s court?" "It' s where he sits." "Court' s adjourned for lunch." "I' m just locking up." "We' re back again at 2:00." "Excuse me, Sir John." "I' m Robert Home." "Yes, I know." "Your clerk tells me you have a fraud case on your list." "It' s scheduled for next week." "The Crown versus Jamison," "I was wondering if you might like to hand it over to me?" "Haven' t you got enough work in your court?" "Oh, there' s plenty of that." "Now you want some more?" "As a silk, I specialised in fraud." "Well, I' ll have my clerk pull the papers for you." "Thank you." "I' d be most grateful." "Is there something you need to tell me, Mr McMillan?" "It might be best if the jury wasn' t in, my lord." "We' ll leave the jury in, as they' ve only just settled." "You might prefer to hear what I have to say in chambers." "The reason Donald Atkins, our main witness, hasn' t appeared is because he' s in police custody." "Did you know about this?" "I did not." "Why would I?" "Your retainer from the Police Federation tends to give you certain privileges." "How long has he been in custody?" "Since yesterday." "He was arrested directly after his court appearance." "The police didn' t tell the court?" "I heard nothing, my lord." "They must have known that he was the witness in the trial of two police officers." "What station' s he at?" "The High Street, my lord." "Coop, call the station." "Tell the officer in charge there I want that witness here ASAP." "I also want to see the arresting officers and their supervisor brought here by the fastest means possible." "The court will remain sitting until they arrive." "Make it crystal clear to them that failure to attend will result in their being committed for criminal contempt." "Gentlemen." "Get your hands out of your pockets." "I' d lay odds that you' ve never responded as fast to an emergency call as you responded to this one." "I' m sorry, but you have to go out for this." "I know it must seem like you always miss the best bits, but if we don' t remove you, we could be accused of denying the defendants a fair trial." "You are?" "Sergeant Bridges, my lord." "Why was the prosecution' s witness, Donald Atkins, kept from court today?" "He was arrested on a serious charge, my lord." "Out of what offence does this arise?" "Out of the hunt meeting the defendants were at." "I see." "So the police have known about the possibility of this arrest for months, but make it the day when the man who is a pivotal witness in a case against two colleagues is due to give evidence." "Is this some coincidence?" "You seem to have a lot to say for yourself." "Let' s hear from you." "You can step down." "Name and rank." "Ross Nye, sir." "Detective Constable." "Given evidence before?" "Yes, sir." "Many times." "Then keep in mind the meaning of the oath." "What is your relationship to the defendants?" "I don' t have one, sir." "You don' t?" "So you' re not a policeman in the same division, at the same station?" "Yes, sir." "Then undeniably, you have a relationship." "Why did you need to arrest the witness now?" "New evidence came to light, sir." "What new evidence?" "Well, I' d rather not say in an open court, sir." "It might prejudice the other case." "Well, either there is something wrong here, or you think that I' m a fool." "But I will penetrate this matter to its heart." "In order to do so, I' m going to refer it to the Police Complaints Authority for urgent investigation." "You can step down, but stay within the precincts of the court building." "Mr Harrison, I want to examine the witness in camera." "The witness is waiting, my lord." "This court will now be held in camera." "Everyone without direct business in this case should leave now." "Mr Harrison, get that lot out." "I' m sorry this has taken so long, Mr Atkins." "I want to ask you some direct questions." "Remember you' re still under oath." "Do you have any idea why the police chose to charge you at this point, rather than two months ago?" "Have the police made any sort of threat to you, regarding your giving evidence in this case?" "Have you been threatened, Mr Atkins?" "No, I haven' t." "I see." "Are you ready to be examined by the prosecution?" "Well, that' s what has to happen now we' ve located you." "Let' s have the jury and the public back." "Mr Atkins." "I believe you saw Brian Alchorn start across the ploughed field with something you thought was alive under his coat." "Can you tell us what that was?" "It was a fox cub." "About 10 weeks old." "And Mr Alchorn was running away from the general scene of the hunt?" "Yes." "How far away were you when you witnessed this?" "About 100 yards, maybe a little more." "I believe you saw two men who you thought were hunt stewards, and you later identified them as off-duty policemen, rush into the field after Mr Alchorn and lash out at him with pickaxe handles." "Are those two men in court today?" "No." "Let us be clear about this, Mr Atkins." "Can you see the two men in court today?" "No." "Mr Atkins, did you make a statement to the police on the 9th of March this year claiming that you saw two men, who you later identified as PC Baz Fatts and PC Grey Palfrey, chase Brian Alchorn across a field where they beat him into a coma?" "Yes." "I was mistaken." "When did you last have your eyes tested?" "Uh, about a month ago, for a job application." "Do you have defective eyesight?" "No, it was good." "Yet you can' t now identify the two men you clearly identified and named back in March." "Why is that?" "I don' t know." "Mr Atkins, are either you or any of your family being threatened in any way by these two men in the dock?" "No, my lord." "I must protest this prejudicial line in front of the jury." "My clients have no opportunity to defend themselves." "Well, they have a more than adequate defence in you, Mr Stafford-Clark." "If that doesn' t prove sufficient, I' m more than happy to afford them every opportunity to defend themselves." "They can make a statement from there or they can go into the witness box and give evidence." "That' s hardly fair to them, my lord." "Mr Stafford-Clark." "There is no stronger statement than one made under oath." "Perhaps I could have a short adjournment to consult with my clients." "Feel free." "Maybe we should go in and set the record straight." "Where' s the harm?" "Don' t talk like a wally, Baz." " It wouldn' t be my advice, Baz." "The witness made a mistake." "The case will collapse." "And what about the complaint?" "First things first." "My clients decline your kind invitation to go into the witness box, my lord." "They see no advantage in submitting themselves to cross-examination at this point." "I assume you' ve warned them as to the inferences that the jury might draw." "Oh, yes, I have." "The first casualty of such missed opportunity is inevitably truth." "It' s clear that the prosecution' s witness was pressurised, and it doesn' t take rocket science to work out where it might have come from." "In the absence of his evidence Mr McMillan," "I' m afraid I see no way to proceed." "So, in the circumstances," "I would like to make a submission of no case to answer." "No, I don' t agree." "The evidence suggests that the prosecution' s main witness was got at." "We will get at the truth." "I suggest the best way to do that is a retrial." "I' m going to discharge the jury." "Meanwhile, I will urge the Police Complaints Authority to conduct their investigation as fast as possible." "With respect, my lord, this is wholly unfair to my clients." "And just how fair do you feel that this whole sorry episode has been to the young man in a coma?" "My clients were wrongly identified." "Next you' ll be telling me they weren' t even present at the hunt meeting." "So is their bail to continue, my lord?" "No." "I think there is a risk that witnesses might be interfered with." "I' ll hear a new bail application on Thursday." "My lord, that' s two days away." "I' m aware of just where Thursday is in relation to Tuesday, Mr Stafford-Clark." "Till Thursday." "All rise." "This is outrageous..." "Can' t you do something?" "Hey, hey, Grey, we' ll do something." "Just a minute, please." "I' ll talk to the president of the circuit." "Perhaps he can persuade him to see some sense." "Judge Home sent you this as a substitute for the fraud case you let him have." "Is it interesting?" "Not particularly, my lord." "Causing grievous bodily harm with intent." "Could get it on tomorrow." "Well, what about the Mason brothers?" "You did suggest you' d take them next." "Oh, I' ll take them first if they' re standing by." "I want them out by lunchtime." "Their dispute' s been running for six years." "And it' s time it ended." "They' re both the poorer for it." "The Section 18 in straight afterwards, my lord?" "Yeah, after lunch." "What weapon was used?" " Uh, fists." "The defendant was a professional boxer." " Oh?" "Would I have heard of him?" " I doubt it, my lord, some no-hoper." "Johnny Latymer." "Not only have I heard of him," "I saw him fight once in Coventry about 10 years ago." "I took my dad to see him." "Johnny "The Animal" Latymer." "The night we were there, he chased his opponent out of the ring still hitting him." "Who' s his current victim?" "His wife' s lover." "Fractured his skull, causing him brain damage." "Sounds like a fair swap for the fraud case." "Are these the papers?" " Yup." "Deputy Assistant Commissioner Colemore." "Line one." "Row." "You still on for today?" "Well, I' ve cracked my ankle," "Ooh." "Badly?" "Well, fencing might be a problem, I' m in a cast," "I had a call from David Stafford-Clark, the Police Federation barrister." "And what was he doing, collecting for the Widows and Orphans Fund?" "Well, he knows as well as I do that I can' t influence your bail decision." "Perhaps he assumed that as a fellow Mason you might try." "Is he a Mason?" "Look, I can' t see any reason for not giving bail." "They' re of good character." "Well, we must assume that." "After all, they' ve had bail before without problems." "I' m convinced they interfered with a witness." "Well, if there' s evidence of misconduct..." "A hitherto sound witness suddenly heard nothing, saw nothing and now is saying nothing." "These were off-duty policemen, John." "They were stopping a bunch of thugs from spoiling a good morning sport." "According to the witness statement, those two put a young man into a coma." "Now, he may or may not have been breaking the law but that is not a proper response for a policeman, on or off duty." "If they' re remanded to jail, John, their lives could be in danger." "We might get the witness back." "I really don' t know why you concern yourself with such things, John." "I' m convinced those two are trying to pervert the course of justice." "Referring them to the Police Complaints Authority is not a move that' s going to make you popular with their colleagues." "Do I need to be popular with them?" "The police like to think that judges are on their side." "This judge is on nobody' s side." "Whatever happened to the wonderful impartiality of the British policeman?" "Well, much like the wonderful impartiality of the judiciary," "I suspect it never existed." "It won' t do to upset them, John." "After all, you rely on these people for your personal security." "What are you saying, Row?" "They might put me in danger?" "Of course not, but they are only human." "No one gives of their best to someone he rightly or wrongly perceives to be threatening his existence." "Hi." "En garde," "Are either of you represented here today?" "I was to be represented but he hasn' t paid my legal bills." "He reneged over every agreement we had over solicitor' s fees." "Neither one of you has any money left to pay his own legal fees." "Now, doesn' t that say something to you about the rather foolish action each of you has embarked upon?" "He started it, my lord." " I was willing to settle." "I wanted to settle." " Every settlement was disagreeable to him." "And now you've got nothing left." "All the money from your father' s not inconsiderable estate, money which presumably he worked hard to accumulate, is gone." "The only people to have benefited are the lawyers." "If he' d settled what we first agreed, we wouldn' t be here." "He wouldn't agree to splitting the estate on the Isle of Wight." "I did!" "You wouldn' t accept my terms." "No!" "You wanted to divide a perfectly good house." "Okay, stop this right now." "You have until the lunch adjournment to resolve this." "And if you haven't by then, then you' re going to have to live with never settling this legally, for I will injunct you both as vexatious litigants." "This means that you will never be allowed back in court on a civil action." "But my lord, can you do that?" " You can' t." "I can and I will." "If he agrees to my terms, it' s settled." "Do you agree to your brother' s terms?" " No, my lord." "He changed the original terms that were agreed before Mr Justice Melchard." "I never did!" " You did!" "Enough!" "Now, I' m going to allow each of you to make a statement, and then I will endeavour to make a ruling to bring this protracted case to an end." "Now, which of you wants to speak first?" "One of you has to speak first." "Alan Mason." "That' s not fair." "He' ll use my arguments to further his." "I don' t see why it has to be me, my lord." "Has to be someone." "Well, why can' t it be him, my lord?" "Why not?" "Charles Mason, would you like to make your statement to the court?" "I' ll be equally disadvantaged, my lord." "All right." "Slide along to the centre of the bench, both of you." "Come on, into the middle." "Closer." "Move in." "Closer still, come on." "Good." "Now, you have 15 seconds to sort this out, before I throw out the whole claim." "But, my lord..." " You can' t..." "No buts." "Clock' s running." "We can' t possibly agree to this." "Then work it out, and quickly." "No, you go first." " No, you go first." "No, I' m not having it." " It' s you who should go first." "You started this." "It' s you." " You always try to make the decision..." "You' ve always been stubborn." " You never do anything on your own." "Daddy was absolutely right." " Daddy was right?" "... don' t give me this, don' t give me that." "Daddy was right about you." "Time' s up!" "Speak." "Speak to me." "I' m going to count to three, then one of you has to give me a statement or this is finished." "One." "Two." "Three." " If we agree, will we still be accused of being vexatious litigants, my lord?" "You' re not accused of this, you are vexatious litigants, Mr Mason." "I find no merit in either case." "I' m absolutely appalled that other judges have allowed this to get this far." "It ends here and it ends now." "Now, having considered carefully all the relevant documents," "I find in favour of Alan Mason." "Oh, that' s wonderful." " That' s complete lunacy." "You speak that way to me again, you' ll go to prison for contempt." "Yes, you old fool." "Just sit down and listen." "And one more word out of you, and you' ll go with him." "I find in favour of one brother over the other simply to put an end to this." "I order Charles Mason to pay costs to his brother Alan... in the sum of one penny." "Who' s an old fool now?" "This is utterly preposterous." "Right, that does it." "I hold you both in contempt." "Will the dock officers remove both of them to the cells, please?" "Both of us, but..." " Yeah, both of you." "See where you' ve landed us?" "You' ve done it again." "You did it." "It' s not my fault." " It was all settled..." "You are the stubbornest man." "Tell the dock officer to release them when they get there, will you?" "He certainly didn' t waste much time dealing with those brothers." "This one can be very blunt at times." "Look at the way he dealt with those two policemen." "They' re not going to take that lying down." "You sure you' re not a journalist?" "Me?" "Nah, cross my heart." "Maybe she should come with me." "My room was broken into." "Anything taken?" "No, I don' t think so." "My laptop wasn' t taken, nor my phone." "Well, those are the first things burglars take." "One of those little dolls of grandma' s you gave me was broken." "Perhaps it was one of the scouts broke it when she was cleaning." "We don' t have scouts, Dad." "That' s Oxford." "I keep them in a drawer, anyway." "Did you call the police?" "I' m sure they' ll get very excited about my vague suspicion." "That' s all it is." "You should call them anyway." "I found a new home for Rosie." "Who?" "Is it the right sort of person?" "They're a gay couple, Dad." "They're fine." "Well, are they stable?" "Are they going to stay together?" "We don' t want her ending up where she came from." "Don' t you want her to have a permanent home?" "Yeah." "Well, she' s safe here, Charlie." "Thought she interfered with your love life." "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey." "I said that she tried to sleep on the bed." "Lawyers should listen to the evidence and not make assumptions." "What shall I tell Steve and Dave?" "Well, when do they want to take her?" "Right now." "I could take her over there." "I' d want to know if she was absolutely safe." "No, let' s leave it for a bit, shall we?" "Are you coming back for lunch?" "Will it be any better than before?" "I doubt it." "I did speak to the housekeeper about a decent vegetarian choice for you, but she' s from another planet." "I' ve got an early tutorial this afternoon, anyway." "I' ll walk you to the bus stop." "I need to take her out." "Did you manage to get in touch with Mrs Mills, Coop?" "I left a message." "She is appearing before you this afternoon." "She' s for the prosecution." "Sounds like she' s getting into bad habits." "No, that' s fine." "I' ve got to go." "...finish my tea." "You' re keeping very bad company these days." "Are you in danger of becoming a Treasury devil?" "The CPS doesn' t pay much, but it does help towards the ever-increasing chambers rents and clerks' fees." "We publish our annual earnings nowadays." "Not like when you were there." "You don' t pick up your phone messages." "Some of them I don' t bother to respond to." "I don' t know if I want to be your fencing partner." "Am I too good for you?" "You' d soon get it back." "You going to the Lord Chancellor' s bash tonight?" "I couldn' t think of anyone to go with." "Do you want to come with me?" "Do you know what it is you want, John?" "Yes, I want you to come with me tonight." "Ready to start." "Not without me, you' re not." "The case before you is straightforward, ladies and gentlemen." "Here we have a man of violence." "A violent man." "A man whose very profession was violence." "This man, in an act of jealous rage, beat up his best friend and put him in a life-threatening coma with a fractured skull and a brain haemorrhage." "It' s only thanks to the dedication of the medical staff that John Latymer is not now facing a far more serious charge." "Unfortunately, the victim' s recovery wasn' t complete and he' s been left paralysed, partially blind and unable to speak." "A perfectly good life now in ruins." "The man accused of this grievous crime, John Latymer, a one-time professional boxer, who showed such skilful and calculated violence in the ring, claims he' s not guilty on the grounds of automatism." "That is when a person acts without awareness of their action." "The prosecution will show that when John Latymer used his fists on Alan Day, his oldest friend and the man to whom his long-suffering wife had turned, he did so with premeditation and with the intention of inflicting as much damage as possible on him." "Mrs Latymer, do you recall the night of the 15th of March, the night when Alan Day was beaten up?" "Yes." "I can' t forget it." "I thought Johnny was gonna kill him." "He wouldn' t stop hitting Alan." "How was he stopped finally?" "I smashed him over the head with a baseball bat." "If I hadn' t, he would' ve killed him." "He kept saying, "I' ll murder ya." "I' ll murder ya. "" "That' s when I hit him." "The first blow didn' t seem to make much difference." "The second blow caught him behind the ear, and he went down." "I thought he' d killed Alan." "He just lay there, his head split open, his brains spilling out, it was terrible." "Well what did you do then, Mrs Latymer?" "I tried to wake Alan." "I was scared to touch him." "But then Johnny started to come round, and I was afraid of what he' d do, so I ran out of the house." "I' ve seen how violent he can be when he came to after a fight." "You mean, after he was knocked out?" "No." "Johnny was never knocked out at boxing." "Yes, that does seem to be my recollection." "He drank heavily after a fight." "It was like he couldn' t bear to remember what he' d done." "When he woke up he' d get violent." "Was he violent to you on these occasions?" "He was violent to anyone who was around." "Big Al was the only one who could handle him like that." "Was he scared of Mr Day?" "No." "No." "Johnny wasn' t scared of anyone." "Alan had a quiet way about him." "He loved Johnny." "He was best man at our wedding." "He even came on our honeymoon with us." "Were you having an affair with Mr Day then?" "No." "No, it was much later when it started." "When I couldn' t take Johnny anymore." "There was no one else I could turn to." "Only Alan." "Who you thought your husband wouldn' t hurt?" "Yes." "Did your husband threaten to kill Mr Day?" "Yes." "He threatened to kill us both." "Did you take him seriously?" "I thought he might do it." "Did you ever go to the police about these threats?" "No." "Why is that, Mrs Latymer?" "Johnny would' ve hurt them if they came round, and then he' d really be in big trouble." "You mean, more than you think he might be in now?" "Do you love your husband, Mrs Latymer?" "No, I don' t think so." "You don' t seem sure." "Are you?" "No." "I don' t know." "Johnny' s like a little boy." "He wants to share everything he has." "You can' t help loving that part of him." "You know he' s hurting inside, but he won' t let you try and take some of it." "Do you think your husband' s hurting now?" "Probably." "He was always sorry afterwards for what he did." "Always, he somehow managed to suck you back into the mess." "Were you aware of how much he loved and depended on you?" "He had a strange way of showing it." "Was your lover making you more happy than your husband was?" "No." "Are you still with Mr Day, Mrs Latymer?" "No, my lord." "I see." "So everyone in this sorry saga loses." "I think this might be a convenient moment." "I' ll remind the jury not to discuss this case except when all together." "Until the morning." "It' s hard to read the map of human emotions." "The defendant looks close to tears, but hitting his victim as he did... seems beyond all human reasoning." "He' s an animal, Judge." "You know the type." "Friendly and cuddly one minute, then watch out." "Charlie would argue that animals don' t behave as badly as humans." "Mr Justice Deed' s chambers." "Jo Mills, Judge, line two." "Did my reasonableness in court impress you?" "Not half as much as Mr Justice Hoskins falling asleep at the bench last week." "He used to be notorious for interrupting, you know." "Maybe your clerk should slip you something." "How about the Lord Chancellor' s bash tonight?" "I have to go home and see Marc." "I could pick you up at six." "I' d really like that, Jo." "6:00 would be fine." "Deed?" " Yeah." "Station, please." " Okay." "Find your own cab." "This one' s mine." "Slipped your police dogs, have you?" "Don' t remember me, do you?" "As of yesterday Mr Romero, what I had forgotten was how short your sentence was." "I served eight years of a 12-year sentence." "Yes, 20 would have been more appropriate." "I should have walked away scot-free." "I would have done if it wasn' t for you." "And let me guess." "Now you' ve come to "get even", have you?" "Oh, you' re brave with all your police guards." "As I recall, your speciality was attacks on women alone in their rooms." "It wasn' t me." "It was a mistake." "Well, the jury thought otherwise." "Now, excuse me, I have an appointment." "Are you okay?" "Me?" "Yeah, I' m fine." "How can you be so calm?" "I felt like hitting him." "Most judges would have bounced Romero right back into jail." "It' s where he belongs." "Call the police." "He hasn' t done anything wrong, as far as I know." "Anyway, as a sex offender he has to report his whereabouts to the police anyway." "You can check that he has." "Jo, the man' s a total coward." "Evening." " Hello." "Deed." "Ah, Sir John." "Sir Ian." "Lady Rochester." "Do you know Jo Mills?" "Of course." "My wife, Francesca." "Yes." "You' ve been the topic of conversation on the sixth floor, Mrs Mills." "Or rather a couple of your recent cases have." "I' m surprised they interest you." "Oh, nothing escapes the attention of the LCD." "They were of a political nature." "The CPS can be bad losers sometimes." "Is the jury still out?" "I' d hoped we' d moved on." "Is my car ready?" "Oh, you' re not leaving, are you?" "These things can be terribly boring if you' re not a lawyer." "Well, we' ll talk about anything but shop." "We have a flight to Mexico for a junket in the morning." "Well, the plane doesn' t go that early, darling." "They have dancing at these bashes." "Can you dance?" "Someone should stop him from making a complete ass of himself." "How did he become a High Court judge?" "Was the Lord Chancellor drunk?" "I assume Deed is." "Regrettably not." "It might have been an excuse." "Somebody should stop him before he makes a complete fool of himself." "Why don' t you?" "She' s your wife." "Well, somebody has to." "That was fun." "Beats talking shop." "Well, I suppose we have to go." "Just as things were getting interesting." "Why don' t we all go on somewhere together?" "I think not." "How about you?" "If I were to badger you about bail for these two policemen, would you dig your heels in?" "I' m not perverse and wantonly prejudiced." "Then you' ll consider releasing them?" "I am considering it." "That' s the purpose of the bail hearing tomorrow." "Did you see The Times today?" "They were all but mentioned by name." "No, I read the potted version in The Sun," "I agree." "I think the police need all the help they can get." "I promised not to talk shop." "I' m sorry." "The Home Office would rather like it if you let them out." "There' s already a big enough problem keeping good people in the police, without the judiciary sending out signals of this sort." "Policemen like that are part of the problem, not the solution." "At least cross the road to us on this." "There is no road I would not cross for honest, hardworking policemen." "Do you want to come on somewhere else?" "I have my packing to do." "Why don' t you hit him?" "You would like that, I' m sure." "Jo?" "I can' t believe how you behaved." "Come on, Jo, it got up Ian Rochester' s nose a treat." "Oh, that' s what you were doing?" "You know, the more powerful you get, the worse you behave." "No, I have behaved consistently badly throughout my adult life." "How would you like it if I propositioned Ian Rochester like you came on to his wife?" "I' d think you got pretty weird taste." "Well, I think you have pretty weird taste, panting after her like you do." "Well, I don' t get much encouragement here." "Listen, part of me has been in love with you from the start." "Do you think I didn' t enjoy our affair?" "You think I didn' t want it to last forever?" "It' s all the rest of it I can' t take." "What I was doing there, Jo, was chasing a myth." "A myth of love." "Love will make me feel better." "Love will make me like myself a little bit more." "It' s not love and it' s certainly not what women want." "Ah, come on, it' s romancing." "It' s getting there." "Works because I' m there and she' s there." "In that brief moment we go beyond everything in our ordinary lives." "For that brief affair I don' t have a past," "I don' t have to sit on the bench listening to lies and excuses." "I don' t have to pretend I' m not alone or lonely for an hour or a night." "I can pretend it' s love and it is." "We love for that moment." "It' s worth all the rejection you get and it' s... glorious." "Am I overselling this?" "How many of the women, that you' ve slept with in the past year have you seen again?" "Can you even remember?" "Well, you could change that." "You could." " No." "No, it' s different with Francesca Rochester." "You haven' t forgotten her." "You haven' t moved on." "I will be good, Jo." "I will." "These two policemen, my lord, are of hitherto good character." "I can' t stress this strongly enough." "They are exemplary policemen." "Family men, dedicated to a life of service." "That' s encouraging." "I wonder if they' d do as much if they weren' t being paid for it?" "Well, would any of us do what we do without reward?" "I nonetheless urge you to release them on bail for the sake of their families and for the sake of police morale." "Oh, I find it hard to believe that police morale is that fragile, Mr Stafford-Clark." "I can only repeat, these are honest, hardworking policemen who would do nothing dishonourable." "They' ve given outstanding service to their communities." "Both of them have received commendations for bravery." "This in itself speaks reams." "Both?" "I thought only Constable Fatts had received such a commendation." "I do beg your pardon, my lord." "Constable Palfrey' s record is so exemplary that I..." "I inadvertently bestowed upon him a commendation." "I earnestly ask you to grant this application." "The application is denied." "Unfortunately for your clients, this is just the sort of incident that the Bail Act covers." "The defendants remain a threat to the well-being of a witness while on bail." "I invite you to return to this court with a fresh application any time there is a change in circumstances." "You' d better not get caught speeding." "I don' t believe the majority of police officers support those two for one moment." "Some are furious with you for your decision, Judge." "Does Row Colemore want to see me?" "He didn' t indicate he did." "I' ll go and see if the assault case is ready." "Thank you." "All rise." "With your leave, my lord, the prosecution would like to call Dr David Neale." "Dr Neale was the first to examine Alan Day, when he was taken to hospital." "Surely I' m safe now." "I should stay close, Judge." "Stephen." "Take Rosie for a walk." "Go on." "What a pleasant surprise, my lord." "What are you doing here?" "It' s a public gym." "I thought it was a private gym." "It' s open to membership." "Don' t suppose you' d like to second me, would you?" "Where did you get that?" "I bought it." "Are you gonna make that an offence?" "Hello." "Does she bite?" " Yeah." "Hello, sweetheart." "Hey, Rosie, girl." "If he' s being a nuisance, John, call the police." "That' s why they' re there." "And you think the police will give me a sympathetic hearing?" "I' m sure some of them will hate you, but I doubt they' ll neglect their duty." "There' s no point in calling them." "Everything Romero does is so reasonable." "That' s why it' s so galling." "I' d say he' s menacing you." "Ah." "It' s women on their own he goes for." "John, don' t be macho about this." "He could be dangerous." "Call Row Colemore." "How rusty are you?" "Come on." "En garde," "Good." "Not bad." "# I just want to feel" "# Safe in my own skin #" "John, you okay?" " No, I' m fine." "I could have killed you." "But you have reason to believe Romero intends you harm?" "I don' t know." "I don' t think he' s exactly got my best interests at heart." "You should have alerted your Protection Officer." "I didn' t think it was that important." "Have you encountered this character?" "No, I wasn' t around, sir." "You should always be around." "Otherwise, what' s the point?" "I sometimes duck off without him, Row." "Is that wise, Sir John?" "I think he broke into my daughter' s room at college." "Would that be sufficient evidence for a conviction in your court, sir?" "You' re being impertinent, Sergeant." "I apologise, sir." "He had a small doll, and I think it belongs to Charlie." "I should hope we can charge him with that." "Just get them to investigate it." "John." "We' re already under strength without his keeping two good policemen in jail." "I' ll have them increase your police protection." "It' s just Charlie I' m worried about." "We' ll put someone with her." "Dad, you' re worrying about nothing." "May not even have been my doll." "I don' t need anyone." "Perhaps you' re right." "Perhaps I' m letting him get to me." "Keep your door locked." "We' ll change the lock on your door." " Oh, Dad." "Well, keep your phone switched on." "I' ll call you soon." "How long did the police take to respond to the call from the defendant' s wife to say that he was beating up her lover?" "We didn' t have a car in the vicinity." "That sounds like a long while, Constable." "Our usual response time is about 13 minutes." "How long did you in fact take?" " About... about 50 minutes." "Where was Latymer when the police arrived in answer to the emergency call?" "He was nowhere to be found, miss." "He fled the scene?" "Is that what you' re saying?" "Yes, my lord." "Where did you find him?" "Following a tip-off he was found boarding a plane at Gatwick for New Zealand." "Was this for a holiday?" "No, sir, he only had a single ticket." "He was fleeing the consequences of his actions." "Is that your conclusion?" "Yes, it was." "And how was Latymer when he was apprehended?" "He claimed to have no knowledge of the beating." "He said he' d lost his memory." "But he knew who he was?" " Yes." "Was there a medical report for the time the defendant was taken into custody?" "Yeah, from the forensic medical examiner, miss." "Do you know its conclusion?" "The doctor said there might be brain damage consistent with a boxing career." "Was his behaviour consistent with someone who had scarring in the brain, equivalent to severe epilepsy, who suffered prolonged blackout, memory loss?" "He was definitely out of it." "Are you calling expert evidence to confirm Mr Latymer' s medical condition?" "I will be doing so, my lord." "It better be good." "Good girl, aren' t you?" "Here you are." "Here you are." "Oh, you can' t be that hungry, Rosie, come on." "Let' s get you out before you have an accident." "Rosie." "God." "Call a vet." "Quick!" "How did it happen?" "How could you let it happen?" "Well, the vet thinks it' s poison." "She ate some meat on the grass." "I told you not to let her eat junk in the street." "It' s more than junk food that did this." "I' d guess it' s some sort of dioxin." "I' ll know more when I get the report on her stomach contents." "There' s no antidote?" "We got her stomach pumped pretty quickly, thanks to Mrs Cooper' s response." "It' s hard to say how much got into her bloodstream or what nerve damage there' ll be." "I' d like to throttle the person who did this." "It may have been put down for foxes or rats." "Yeah, well, I' d throttle them anyway." "What are her chances?" "If you pray, Sir John, that' s all I can suggest." "Judge?" "All we can do is wait and pray, apparently." "Where' s my policeman?" "He' s been recalled to the station." "Sergeant Bridges came in." "Romero has a receipt for the doll." "I think that' s who did this to Rosie." "Well, hadn' t you best wait for Stephen, Judge?" "Tell him I' ll be at the gym." "Stop it, please." "You' re choking me." "Coward." "You should be in prison for life." "I haven' t done anything, Judge." "You poisoned my dog." "She' s convulsing and she' s foaming at the mouth." "Maybe she ate shaving soap." "Sir John." "Are you all right?" "He' s a madman." "He' s totally mad." "I wouldn' t hurt his dog." "I love dogs." "You really mustn' t let Romero get to you like this." "I saw red." "I really wanted to hurt him." "Yeah, and that' s exactly what he wants." "Wouldn' t that look great on your CV?" "Hm?" "Think how pleased the Lord Chancellor' s people would be about that." "Oh, tell me about it." "John, it' s been a whole hour and you haven' t propositioned me." "I don' t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed." "Strange." "I' ve never cared much about pets before." "They' re a big commitment." "Like children." "Certainly find a way under the wire." "Better get the bill." "I' ll take you back." "Charlie, everything all right?" "How' s Rosie?" " Still alive." " Good," "I found one of the other dolls with the arms broken off." "Call security right now." "I' ll call the police." "Is anybody in your room?" "There' s nowhere there to hide." " Call college security." "I' m on my way." "Dad..." " Do it, Chas." "Well, there' s no forced entry, John." "I don' t think she imagined it." "Sneak thieves usually steal whatever' s around." "This isn' t a sneak thief, this is Romero." "Romero went to the station to complain that you attacked him at the gym." "We certainly had an exchange, Row." "He claims you' re persecuting him." "Oh, he does, does he?" "Does have a witness, sir." "He said you tried to choke him, Sir John." "Oh, I wanted to break his neck." "He thinks you' re angry at him because he didn' t get a long enough prison sentence." "He didn' t, not half long enough." "You can appreciate the police' s dilemma, John." "It was him who poisoned my dog." "I' m equally convinced that he' s been in here." "Inspector, ask the CID to do a fingerprint check." "Sir." "Yeah, and check the other students and college staff." "Find out if anybody saw him." "They' ll do whatever they can, John." "If you want me to do anything more, you know where I am." "Charlie." "Your friend doesn' t believe us." "Sure he does." "Mr Crutwell, how much had Mr Latymer drunk on the day he made these threats against his wife and her lover?" "It' s hard to say." "You don' t keep count." "Some of us do." "When we have to drive." "You had been in the pub about two hours?" "Yeah." " Drinking steadily?" "We' d had a few." "Had you heard Mr Latymer utter threats previously about his wife and her lover?" "Oh, yeah." "Yeah, all the time." "Thank you, Mr Crutwell." "Mr Crutwell, were the defendant' s threats something you ever took seriously?" "Not really." "John is a bit of a loudmouth." "Thank you, Mr Crutwell." "That was my last witness, my lord." "It concludes the case for the prosecution." "Thank you." "Thank you, Mr Crutwell." "Ms Yesayahoo, am I going to hear from you?" "No, my lord." "I' d like to call my first witness, Johnny Latymer." "Very well." "Can you tell the court, Mr Latymer, how long you have known your wife?" "28 years." "She was in my class at school." "And your wife' s former lover, Alan Day?" "Alan was in the same class." "Would you describe them as your oldest friends?" "From that first day at school." "As you grew up you grew closer, did you not?" "Yes." "We were inseparable... apart from when I started boxing." "Monika stopped talking to me." "It was Alan who brought her around." "He told her the only way I could express myself was doing something physical." "And when you married your wife, did this change?" "No." "Not at all." "Alan was still our closest friend." "He did everything with us." "How many other women have you known?" "None apart from Monika." "So you fell in love with the woman who was to become your wife and stayed faithful to her." "Yes." "Was she ever unfaithful to you before going off with your best friend?" "No." "What did you feel when you found out that she' d gone to live with Alan Day?" "I don' t know." "Angry, I suppose." "I drank a lot." "That made it worse." "You drank a lot on the evening of March the 15th." "Do you have any idea what happened to Alan Day following that?" "He got hurt." "Bad." "I' ve got no idea how." "Monika said it was me, but I can' t remember." "I can' t..." "Do you remember anything after leaving the pub that night?" "Nothing at all." "You were angry, very angry, Mr Latymer." "Is that so?" "I may have been." "I don' t remember." "You' d been threatening to kill you wife and her ex-lover, is that not so?" "I don' t remember." " You never once remember doing that?" "I may have said it." "I mean, we all say things like that at times." "But I don' t remember." "Isn' t that rather convenient, Mr Latymer?" "We now have your ex-wife' s former lover, in a pitiful state because of your action." "You claim to have forgotten this attack, because of a crack on the head by a baseball bat wielded by your ex-wife in the protection of her lover." "You claim to have no knowledge of this visit to your ex-wife and Mr Day because you were suffering automatism." "Isn' t the truth, in fact, that you were murderous when you went to Alan Day' s house, murderous with intent and prepared to destroy and to get back your wife?" "No!" "I just wanted Monika back." "Mr Latymer, isn' t it true that you went to the house with the sole intention of destroying the one person that you imagined stood between you and your desire?" "No!" "No!" "I didn' t want to hurt Al." "I didn' t... want to..." "I didn' t want to hurt..." "In view of the hour," "I think this might be a convenient moment." "Till the morning." "All rise." "It' s not often I have no clear picture of human behaviour." "I fail to understand, totally, the loss of control that led to Mr Day' s injuries." "I don' t know whether to send Latymer away for a very long time or let him walk." "Well, I think he' s being manipulative, Judge." "I wish I' d kept the fraud case now." "The police asked if you could go in." " Any change in Rosie?" "Oh, she' s hanging on." "That' s all the vet would say." "Stephen turned up yet?" "Well, the police said they were sending a replacement." "But of course one hasn' t arrived." "There were no prints at all on the dolls, John, and none of Romero' s in the room." "Your takeaway, my lord." " Thank you, Mr Johnson." "Then perhaps Romero is more stupid than he thinks he is." "Charlie' s prints at least should have been on the dolls." "He must' ve wiped them." "Perhaps he wasn' t there." "Is Charlie okay, John?" "Say what you have to say, Row." "Well, is she getting enough attention?" "You know, sometimes children are disturbed by divorce." "Well, how would you know?" "All you got is wives and no children." "She could be doing this herself." "I mean, the fact that only the dolls were damaged..." "Thanks for your psychological insights, Row." "The police have found nothing that would suggest any intruder." "Well, what is it you' d like them to do, John?" "Well, what is it you would like me to do to get them to act?" "Let their mates out on bail?" "Well, I can' t deny it would be useful." "Row Colemore thinks you' re trying to scare me, because you don' t get enough attention." "You' re a little remiss in that area." "Well, the police have lectures in psychology nowadays." "Well, I hope you took notes," "Is your security around?" "They called by to check I' m all right." " Good." "Anyone could have broken Grandma' s doll, Dad," "One of my friends, most likely." "Is Rosie gonna be all right?" "She' s a born survivor, darling." "I' ll call you in the morning." "Bye, love." "Dr Dolven, you are a consultant neurologist at St Thomas' s Hospital?" "Yes, I am." "Were you asked to examine Mr Latymer to determine the degree to which he suffered blackouts, loss of memory?" "Has it been established that the defendant suffered such problems?" "I' m sorry, my lord, I' m getting ahead." "Dr Dolven, can you tell us what you found when you examined Mr Latymer?" "The CT scan showed marked brain adhesions." "Did you form an opinion as to how these adhesions might have been formed?" "Oh, yes." "They' d be caused by lesions that resulted from blows to the head." "The damaged tissue fuses together when it heals." "Would this scarring result in blackouts of any kind?" "Loss of memory?" "Lack of orientation?" "All three." "The scarring is quite prominent." "Yet he functioned with his cognitive facilities?" "His brain was damaged, not dead." "Mr Latymer has a highly developed sense of awareness of what he' s doing." "His drinking helps him to blot out..." " He would have known from the start what he was doing?" "Well, the structural damage to his brain, didn' t lead me to conclude he wouldn' t know." "I mean, emotional blockages are something else." "Thank you, Doctor." "So... nothing medical explains the attack?" "No." "I mean, prolonged juddering or jarring may exacerbate a propensity." "It was clear from talking to Mr Latymer, that he suffers from an enormous sense of frustration." "Well, that' s something we all suffer from, Doctor." "What I' m looking for in his medical condition or in his psychiatric condition is something that would explain automatism." "Well, blockages in the neural pathways that result from brain lesions could stop mental connection with emotional response." "If the frustration was severe enough or sufficiently prolonged, automatism in action could come about." "Okay." "Thank you." "Ms Yesayahoo." " The brain damage he suffered exacerbated his sense of frustration and caused him to act in a way of which he had no awareness?" "Yes, that' s the sum of it." "All frustration results from a failure, to express oneself verbally, artistically, physically." "Mr Latymer wasn' t able to express himself fully." "The less he was able to do so, the more emotionally pent-up he became, the less aware of his actions." ""Helplessly unexpressed emotions resulting from brain damage" ""would turn to unavoidable violent action. "" "My lord." " So..." "Yes." "I would prefer you to put questions and let the witness answer." "I' m sorry." "With his medical condition, Doctor, could Mr Latymer have avoided the explosion of frustration he allegedly directed at Mr Day?" "He almost certainly couldn' t." "Thank you, Doctor." "That concludes the case for the defence." "Do you want to come back, Mrs Mills?" " No, my lord." "Thank you, Dr Dolven." "You' re free to go." " Thank you." "Are you ready to make your closing speech, Mrs Mills?" "I am." "Would tomorrow be more convenient?" "Not if we can dispose of it today." "Yes." "Tomorrow would be more convenient." "All rise." "What happened to Charlie?" "Where is she?" "I don' t know, Judge." "She sounded strange." "What did she say?" "Well, "This is Charlie Deed." "I can' t, I can' t... "" "And then this man came on and gave me that address." "What man?" "Well, I don' t know." "He said he was a taxi driver." "Charlie wants you to go and get her." " You sure it was Charlie?" "Well, he did describe her." "I told him to bring her here." "He said she wouldn' t get in the cab." "Keep trying her number, Coop." "Tell her I' m on my way." "Did my policeman arrive?" " No, nor his replacement." "Call the station." "Send him after me." "Hello?" "Sorry, wrong number." "Hello?" "I didn' t dial a wrong number." "Who is this?" " Where' s Charlie?" " You don' t want to know, Judge." "Romero, you are in serious trouble." "Tell me about it." "Where' s Charlie?" "In six feet of oily, stagnant water." "If you hurt her, I' ll kill you." "Well, maybe your police friends will get her before she drowns." "Good afternoon, Mr Justice Deed' s," "Coop, call Row Colemore." "Tell him to send the police." "The taxi driver was Romero." "He' s got Charlie." "Deed." "John, what' s happening?" "I hope your people are on the way." "Well, Coop had very few details." " Well, she' s got as many as I' ve got." "Is your policeman with you, John?" "You know he' s not." "We' ll get to that later." "But you' ve... you' ve tried contacting Charlie?" "Romero is answering her phone." "You' re sure she hasn' t leant it to a boyfriend?" "Forget it." "I' ll deal with him." "Please, my..." "Charlie?" "Please," "Please," " Charlie!" "Charlie, it' s Dad." "Please," " Charlie." "I..." " Charlie." "I can' t..." "Charlie." "This is Charlie Deed, I can' t, I can' t..." "Romero!" "Charlie?" "Where' s Charlie?" "Where' s my daughter?" "You' re too late, Judge." "Hello." "You thief, you' ve nicked my phone!" "Charlie?" " Dad, you' ve got my phone?" "Are you okay?" "Where are you?" "I' m fine, I' m at college," "Call your mother, call anybody." "Why?" "What' s wrong?" "Just... call your mother and stay put." "George Channing." "Charlie, this is a surprise." "Are you in jail?" "I just wondered how you were." "That' s very sweet." "I' m..." "I' m just about to start a con." "Oh." "It' s all right." "I' ve only got one coin anyway." "Bye." "How could he just disappear?" "Did you hear what I said?" "I wanted to kill him." "Yeah, well, you didn' t, did you?" "He just got up and walked away." "I need to talk to Michael Nivan." "I called the Ice Maiden." "Why did you tell me to?" "You knew she' d be too busy." "She' s always too busy." "She' s got a big case on." "John." "I might not be afforded the luxury of resigning, Michael." "I tried to kill this man." "I may have done the same if he' d threatened one of my children." "Except Charlie was safely in college." "Let me call the police." "What do you want to do tonight?" "How about a film?" "I' d like to go and see a film tonight." "Yeah, well, there' s that new cinema that' s opened or we could get a video, or..." "Maybe a video..." "Oh, the police did send someone to the disused factory." "No sign of Romero." "He wasn' t a figment of my imagination." "I' m not saying he was, John." "Put everyone' s mind at rest." "Have them locate this Romero character... urgently." "Well, if he was there, he' s in serious trouble." "I should jolly well hope, threatening a High Court judge." "Get the local police to ring me at my lodgings." "Will do." "Police could find no trace of Romero, John." "Have they received a complaint?" "He' d have to be pretty stupid." "Despite your deteriorating relationship with the police," "I think they' d still be inclined to believe you." "He was trying to goad me into killing him." "You' re overreacting." "That' s what I wanted to do." "Is Charlie okay?" "Her work going well?" "I can' t put myself above the law." "I' m currently trying a man for behaving in an exactly similar way." "I really must resign, Michael." "It' ll certainly make life easier for everyone, myself included." "At times, John, you can be a real pain." "Miss?" "There' s a visitor for you in reception." "It' s your mother." "Oh." "Tell her to come up." "No, wait." "I' ll come get her." "Why didn' t your father call me?" "I don' t know." "You two never seem to find common ground." "He always seems to think he' s right." "I knew something had to be wrong for you to ring." "Look, it' s no big deal, really." "Is there somewhere we could get a drink?" "There' s a student union." "Student union?" "That' ll be noisy and sweaty." "No." "Baths are compulsory now." "Let' s find a wine bar." "I won!" "I won!" "You cheated!" "I did not." " You jolly well did." "I suppose this is the sort of stuff your father does." "Oh, no." "He' s very stiff and formal." "Is he?" "He sometimes sleeps on the floor, if it' s late." "You can stay if you like." "I' ll sleep on the floor." "I' ve a 7:00 con in the morning." "I' ve enjoyed this evening." "We must do it again." "You know where I am." "I' ll call you tomorrow." "I' m going to remove my hand." "If you scream, I' ll hurt you." "Charlie?" "Charlie!" "Charlie!" "Charlie, are you all right?" "Charlie!" "Charlie, what happened?" "Where is she?" " Oh, she' s fine, John." "The police owe you an apology." "She was very lucky." "Mrs Mills, Judge." "John, is Charlie okay?" " She' s pretty badly shaken up." "Who did they catch?" "Romero?" "Mrs Cooper tells me you' re planning to resign." "I think that' s the appropriate response, Jo." "So Romero wins." "He ruins your career." " No, I did that." "It' s the same thing." "Think what I did." " I did." "And what it does, John, is it gives you greater insight and understanding into violent behaviour." "None of your contemporaries have got that." "Think about it." "Most judges sit on the bench, totally divorced from the lives of the people they' re judging, totally separated from the emotions that govern those lives." "The most emotional response you get from any of them is "I could murder a pint"." "You know what it is to be a man of violence, John." "You went there and you came back of your own volition." "Don' t turn away from such a unique experience on an empty gesture." "Please." "You have a trial to conduct." "All rise." "Before you start your closing address Mrs Mills," "I' d like to see counsel in my chambers." "This is a matter of some importance so would you remain in court, please?" "All rise." "Come in, sit down a minute." "I want you to consider an alternative to going forward with this case." "This is a case where everyone loses." "Sending Latymer to prison, should the jury find him guilty, doesn' t make anyone a winner, Mrs Mills." "Well, I' m never keen on sending anyone to prison Judge, but he did beat a man half to death." "If the jury is convinced by Ms Yesayahoo' s medical expert and accept the defence of automatism, then he could walk." "Would you be able to persuade him to plead guilty?" "I think the jury may be persuaded to go with the defence we' re running." "Yes, and if they don' t, he faces a life sentence." "If he were persuaded, my lord?" "Deal with him appropriately." "Would you be prepared to change the charge on the plea, say..." "Section 47?" " Section 47?" "The CPS will never employ me again." "Well, sometimes you have to let go of the score." "It' s still a conviction." "I feel like something' s being taken away from me, but I am open to be persuaded otherwise." "Then let' s see if I can persuade you." "As the defendant has changed his plea to guilty, it only remains for me to thank you for your attendance." "Would you return to the witness box, Mr Latymer?" "I want to ask you some more questions under oath before passing sentence." "Remember, you' re still under oath." "Will you tell the court what your feelings are towards Mr Day at this moment?" "I feel... gutted, sir." "Well and truly." "Alan was my best friend, next to Monika." "What I did is so bad, it couldn' t have been worse if I shot him." "I took his life, just the same." "I tried to blame Monika for what she had done." "But it wasn' t her fault, nor Big Al' s." "First, I pushed her away and then I sentenced Al to life." "He never had any close family, apart from Monika and me." "And now that she' s left, he' s got no one." "It' s a life sentence, all right." "When did you come to this conclusion?" "It' s all I' ve been thinking about in prison, about how Al is gonna cope now that Monika' s gone." "Anything else you want to say before I pass sentence?" "Whatever you give me, I deserve." "Well, whatever I give you won' t restore Mr Day to his hardworking, useful life." "Yours was a senseless act of violence." "It robbed this man of all that was useful to him." "And until very recently, I was completely at a loss to understand such acts." "And much as I detest sending a man to prison, it seemed to me to be the only appropriate response." "During this trial..." "I' ve been given some sort of insight into the sort of emotions that lead us to lose control" "and so resort to violence." "In your case, Mr Latymer, the affliction of loss of control was compounded by the fact that you were a professional boxer." "You' d better return to the dock." "Mr Latymer... if I were to send you to prison for 20 years, would you think that was fair?" "Yes, sir." "Big Al got longer than that." "The maximum sentence for this offence is five years." "Ordinarily, the maximum is what I would give you." "And regret that that was all that I could give." "However, I don' t think you' re a wicked man." "Despite your threats," "I don' t believe that you wantonly sought to injure your friend." "And there' s my dilemma." "I' m not convinced that you would benefit from a prison sentence of any kind." "Now, I suppose the press might want to comment on that, but I' m not in the business of making good copy," "but trying instead to salvage three ruined lives." "If I were to ask you to nurse Mr Day, and generally take care of him, would you do it?" "Yes, sir, of course I would." "I' m pleased to hear it." "For, assuming both the probation service and Mr Day agree," "I' m going to impose a community punishment order." "Under it you are to take care of Mr Day for a minimum of two hours a day, every day for two years." "Now, under these orders 240 hours is the maximum, so I suppose somebody could successfully appeal this." "But somehow I don' t think anyone will." "If my judgement serves this court and society well, then I believe that at the end of this period, you will be keen to stick with your responsibilities, and so make enduring reparation to your best friend." "That was the vet, she said could you come?" "Is it bad?" "Well, she just said to come." "Get my policeman." "No, no!" "Don' t bother." "Jo." "I need a cab." "I need to get to the vet." " Get in." "Get in." "Get in." "Well done, Stephen." "Thank you." "I doubt if even 20 years would have improved you." "Rosie!" "Hey!" "How are you, girl?" "I can only think it is your prayers that did it." "Thank you." "Thank you for all that you did." "I was preparing to put her down." "Oh, excuse me." "If ever I doubted there was a God, this might change my view." "Well, that' s how you got some of your best results as a QC, on a wing and a prayer." "I' m sorry, David." "There' s no point in my approaching Mr Justice Deed." "It seems that he' s reserved your case to himself, and has no intention of letting it go to me or to anyone else." " Well, thank you, anyway." "I hear your argument why these two policemen should have bail, Mr Stafford-Clark." "My problem is nothing has changed in it." "The application for bail is denied." "This in no way reflects upon the vast majority of decent, hardworking policemen in this country." "Try me again if the circumstances change, Mr Stafford-Clark." "You know what will do it." "All rise."