Day 203 - 12 Jan 96 - Page 58


     
     1        would not be unusual to have a look at the whole
     2        restaurant, because if you were on the front -- if you are
     3        in the dining area and there is a fire in the back ups
     4         ------
     5
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just restrict yourself to the particular
     7        question, please, Mr. Skehel.
     8
     9   MR. MORRIS:  All right, in that paragraph, paragraph (iii) on
    10        page 9, you recalled one incident which now seems to be a
    11        prevalent practice?
    12        A.  Yes.
    13
    14   Q.   Why did you not put that in the original statement?
    15        A.  Because I did not remember at the time.  I have thought
    16        about it since and a couple of other occasions have
    17        occurred to me.
    18
    19   Q.   The next one, this problem of the £87, that was something
    20        that Ray Coton told you about, informed you about, is it
    21        not?
    22        A.  I cannot remember who informed me about it.  Where are
    23        we looking, sorry?
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  At the bottom of page 9.
    26        A.  Thank you. "Drawn to my attention whilst I was in the
    27        restaurant" is -----
    28
    29   MR. MORRIS:  Ray Coton reported it to you?
    30        A.  It came to my attention whilst I was in the
    31        restaurant.  I cannot remember if Ray reported it to me or
    32        not.
    33
    34   Q.   There is no implication there that Ray Coton had done
    35        anything dishonest, is there?
    36        A.  I do not know.  I think that the implication is that
    37        Ray mismanaged his safe and was treated lightly under the
    38        circumstances.
    39
    40   Q.   Treated lightly?
    41        A.  Yes.
    42
    43   Q.   Because somebody else lost £87 who was running the shift?
    44        A.  If Ray Coton has a practice or has systems in his
    45        restaurant whereby keys for safes are shared amongst
    46        people, then there is a lack of accountability for the
    47        contents of that safe.  Ray Coton would be accountable for
    48        those practices in the restaurant.  In fact, he had one of
    49        the keys.  So, you know, if somebody else -- the confusion
    50        arose, I think, at the change over.  There was dual 
    51        management of the safe.  For a Store Manager of however 
    52        many years experience, that is stupid.  That is a stupid 
    53        mistake and he has left himself open.  He leaves himself on
    54        such an occasion open to suspicion.  Of course, I did not
    55        actually suspect him, to be honest with you.  I did not
    56        suspect him, but he left himself open to suspicion, which
    57        is a silly position to put himself in, is it not?
    58
    59   Q.   Is it your view at any store where more than one person has
    60        access to the keys to the safe would show that the Manager

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