Day 248 - 13 May 96 - Page 33
1 A. I decided to hire, via Sid Nicholson, some
2 investigators to find out exactly where this thing was
3 going, called London Greenpeace, what its intentions were,
4 were there any further links with Animal Liberation Front,
5 what was in store for me in the future given what we had
6 come through in the last few months; it was very much part
7 of going forward.
8
9 Q. I put it to you Mrs Preston, that bringing in this aims and
10 objectives, as you call it, leaflet of London Greenpeace as
11 the reason why you decided to bring action is a complete
12 load of rubbish and purely and simply propaganda from your
13 company designed as a mud throwing exercise so you could
14 attempt to bring in the fire-bombing matter which is
15 completely unconnected to London Greenpeace?
16 A. Absolutely untrue. The document speaks for itself
17 -- 'Smash McDonald's'.
18
19 Q. If you could look at tab, counterclaim document No 78. You
20 would have seen this before?
21 A. This is a letter, a memo, to me from Terry Carroll. We
22 are looking at the same thing.
23
24 Q. Yes. Do you remember it? Have a read if you like.
25 (Pause).
26 A. OK, I have read it.
27
28 Q. Did you ask for this to be sent to you?
29 A. No.
30
31 Q. You did not?
32 A. No, not that I recall. It is a summary of what he had
33 seen.
34
35 Q. Was there a reason why you wanted to know what he had seen?
36 A. Well, again, this was activity in front of my office
37 complex, so I am concerned about what happens there.
38
39 Q. Right. Was this going to be used as part of your action
40 against myself, Mr. Morris and others, and the other people
41 that you were intending to sue, or thinking of suing?
42 A. At that point in time I did not know what it was going
43 to be.
44
45 Q. But at that point in time you had already decided to take
46 action against the leaflet by hiring private investigators?
47 A. I decided to take action to gather more facts and data
48 as specific as I could about where this was likely to go in
49 the future; what other links there had been, what they
50 might become, with a mind towards, if I so chose, I would,
51 should I find it necessary, use the courts of the law to
52 deal with the stopping of this document being published in
53 the future via injunction.
54
55 Q. So, you were interested in who was handing out the
56 leaflets, and where and when?
57 A. Yes.
58
59 Q. Right. For the purposes of using that in a potential court
60 case, in the potential action that you were considering
