Day 001 - 28 Jun 94 - Page 58
1 they became ready. We are unable to collect them. We do
not have the time or the ability to go and collect them.
2 I cannot collect them because I have child care
responsibilities in the evening anyway.
3
MR. JUSTICE BELL: One thing you could do is collect them the
4 following morning. It certainly does not always follow
that if counsel, for instance, has the transcript that
5 evening he or she actually looks at the transcript that
evening. As I understand, in fact I may find out this
6 evening, you can I think take your computer away with you
and turn up whatever you want which has happened in the
7 day's proceedings on that. I do not mind saying that
probably what I will do, if I can do that and I think
8 I can, is use that to refer back to anything which has
happened in the day and I probably will not most days look
9 at the transcript, if I do, until the following morning.
10 MR. MORRIS: As I said before, I do not consider the computer
as a substitute for properly formed transcripts. I am
11 quite disturbed about the direction that is going in.
12 MR. JUSTICE BELL: How do you think you are disadvantaged by
not having the transcripts ----
13
MR. MORRIS: It was originally said we would get them by 5.30
14 once the trial was properly under way each night. I would
want to work from the transcript. We do not have a huge
15 team of trained people working on our case. We are
independent and isolated defendants working on the case
16 each night at home with our other responsibilities, child
care. I need a transcript to work from. If the
17 plaintiffs have one, then I cannot see anything but sheer
bloody mindedness they cannot send one around
18 straightaway.
19 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is a 50-50 thing. If they have one
available they might equally say they cannot see why you
20 or someone who is prepared to do it for you should not
collect the transcript. I will hear Mr. Rampton in a
21 moment. In the meantime you have this marvellous
machinery to throw up for you what has been said during
22 the day.
23 MR. MORRIS: I do not find this machinery a substitute for a
written transcript, because I find that I cannot work and
24 I cannot refer to it in the normal way and make notes on
it. You may have seen today, I am working on paper.
25 Although it is important to have it, it is an additional
tool, I think, as I expressed before, I did not want it to
26 become a substitute for a written transcript. So I think
it is only fair that if the plaintiffs have a transcript
27 at 5.30 or 5 o'clock, whatever, that it is delivered to
the defendants within half an hour. I do not see any
28 problem really apart from, you know, the money that the
plaintiffs have, but in the context of the case something
29 as important as the transcript it is just ludicrous that
we should be denied it that evening. By the time we get
30 it the next day it will already be history, because, as
you can appreciate, we re completely overwhelmed with the
