Day 240 - 24 Apr 96 - Page 42
1 and for that reason, and that reason alone, it was
2 adjourned until the first possible date.
3
4 Therefore, I cannot see how the London Borough of Haringey
5 can complain in any way, shape or form of the first
6 available date that is suitable and the judge in that case
7 did say he wanted me to bring it up at this court so that a
8 date could be fixed.
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That may be. I am not going to enter into
11 argument about the rights and wrongs of that. What I want
12 to be able to do is go back to my room, and Mr. Glen to go
13 back to his room, and stress the difficulty of 2nd and 3rd
14 May. If they insist on 2nd and 3rd May, this court may
15 still have to sit on 2nd and 3rd May, but I am doing my
16 very best to avoid any clashes of that kind if it can
17 possibly be done.
18
19 One of the best ways of avoiding it, in my experience of
20 listing, may be to go and stress the difficulty of 2nd and
21 3rd May. If, by whatever means, it ends up that it is 8th
22 an 9th August instead, well and good, but in case, for
23 whatever reason, it does not appear to the Central London
24 Civil Trial Centre that 8th and 9th August are not
25 suitable, presumably they will hear argument from your
26 solicitor before they decide it, I want to be able to
27 say, "Well, look, this court would be prepared not to sit
28 for any two days between certain dates in June rather than
29 risk 2nd and 3rd of May being spoilt", either spoilt
30 because I have to accept that Ms. Link and Dr. North have
31 to go on, or spoilt to this extent, that you will be put to
32 a choice, which I would rather you were not put to, of
33 being either at Bloomsbury or here on those days. Do you
34 understand?
35
36 MR. MORRIS: Yes.
37
38 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What I suggest is that since I am completely
39 blank on my schedule from Tuesday 4th June onwards, we make
40 it clear -- I think they cannot sit on other dates in May,
41 but what it really boils down to is that we have nothing
42 fixed at the moment for this trial from Monday, 20th May
43 onwards. I think Mr. Glen has been told that they do not
44 have any other dates in May apart from 2nd and 3rd so they
45 may not be interested in a date before Tuesday, 4th June.
46
47 If they do find a date towards the back end of May, and if
48 they are talking about two days in what is the school half
49 term, you will have to take it up with them and argue about
50 that with them; but is there any objection from anyone for
51 any specific reason to me, either directly myself or
52 through Mr. Glen, putting to them that we could say we
53 would not sit for two days, if they specify which two days
54 from Monday, 20th May onwards?
55
56 MR. MORRIS: There is no problem at all.
57
58 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do you have anything to say, Mr. Rampton?
59
60 MR. RAMPTON: No, I can see that as an alternative. It grieves
