Day 031 - 05 Oct 94 - Page 50
1 litigation.
2
3 MS. STEEL: I do not know how we could have dealt with that
4 without -- I just think it is a ridiculous comment from
5 Mr. Rampton.
6
7 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The answer is I do not think you needed to
8 ask, but I saw no point in stopping you asking this
9 witness the question.
10
11 MS. STEEL: When we do not put parts of the leaflet to
12 witnesses, we get criticised for that and when we do put
13 them, we get criticised by Mr. Rampton for that. It seems
14 a no-win situation.
15
16 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I do not think that is so. A more accurate
17 way of doing it might be merely to ask whether in the
18 witness's view a diet high in fat, sugar, animal products
19 and sodium and low in fibre, vitamins and minerals is
20 linked -- for whatever purpose that means to the witness,
21 I do not know -- with cancers of the breast, bowel and
22 heart disease. But, at the end of the day, whatever that
23 witness's answer is to that question, I am going to have
24 to go further back in the evidence, having decided what I
25 think the leaflet means and see whether it is supported or
26 not. But do not concern yourself with it at this stage.
27
28 MS. STEEL: I mean, I do not understand what we are supposed
29 to do; whether we are supposed to put parts of the leaflet
30 to witnesses or not.
31
32 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am not objecting to your question. I am
33 perfectly happy that Mr. Rampton should raise it. But, as
34 far as I am concerned, at the end of your witnesses
35 in-chief you can ask a composite question like that. Then
36 at the end of the day I will have to sit down and see
37 whether the answer actually helps me, bearing in mind the
38 different functions which witnesses have and I have to the
39 conclusion.
40
41 MS. STEEL: I think there was not any trickery involved in
42 asking that question. I think this is -----
43
44 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Quite frankly, I had not supposed that there
45 was.
46
47 MS. STEEL: Right, but I think it is important what experts in
48 the field, whether they believe that it is generally
49 accepted fact or not.
50
51 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. You argue that at the end of the case.
52
53 MS. STEEL: We had the Plaintiffs' witnesses expressing their
54 opinion on whether it is was accepted or not.
55
56 Cross-Examined by Mr. Rampton
57
58 Q. Professor Crawford, only a very few limited questions. I
59 regret to say that through no fault of mine, my clients or
60 my solicitors we will have to ask you come back to court;
