Day 165 - 27 Sep 95 - Page 47


     
     1        four weeks before Christmas that your Lordship indicates
     2        would be convenient to your Lordship and to Mr. Cesca.
     3
     4   MS. STEEL:  We might want to fix witnesses when we have agreed
     5        to your Canadian ones, but we are trying to be helpful and
     6        it might be considerate if you did the same.
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Let us all stay calm.  The dates which are
     9        going through my mind, does he have to start on Monday?
    10
    11   MR. RAMPTON:  I would much rather he started on a Monday.  For
    12        all Mr. Morris' implied threats to filibuster, I would much
    13        rather that he started on a Monday because I am confident
    14        with proper cross-examination he ought to be finished in a
    15        week.  It may very well that once he has given evidence a
    16        number of the Defendants; expert, so-called, will have
    17        second thoughts about giving evidence at all, I know not.
    18
    19   MR. MORRIS:  Maybe if you re-read our expert reports you may not
    20        want to call any witnesses yourself.  Could I say that if
    21        it is going to be before Christmas, the advantage of the
    22        week of the 11th is that we then have the overrun of the
    23        incomplete week the following week because the court
    24        finishes early which gives Mr. Cesca a free run into the
    25        following week which will be the two last days, if needed.
    26
    27   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I am contemplating either Monday 11th or
    28        Wednesday 6th which is why I asked, is there a specific
    29        advantage in him coming on a Monday?
    30
    31   MR. RAMPTON:  No, not except that it would be nice for him not
    32        to have a spend a weekend in England unless he absolutely
    33        has to, I dare say.  May we make enquiries?
    34
    35   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  He did not tell you what his view about that
    36        would be?
    37
    38   MR. RAMPTON:  No, he likes England, I can tell your Lordship
    39        that.
    40
    41   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If I was given the option of starting
    42        evidence on Wednesday and having the weekend in the middle
    43        of New York or starting on the following Monday and coming
    44        straight home I might ----
    45
    46   MR. RAMPTON:  He is one of those perhaps not so rare people
    47        nowadays who does not give himself options of that kind.
    48        He is so busy that it may be that he would rather not
    49        sacrifice an enjoyable weekend to leisure time in London.
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If I say the 11th, I am going to say that all 
    52        his evidence must be finished by Thursday 21st December at 
    53        the latest.  That is in no way an attempt to limit
    54        Ms. Steel or Mr. Morris in their cross-examination.  It
    55        gives, in my view, plenty of time and gives a target anyway
    56        to aim at.
    57
    58   MR. RAMPTON:  Yes.
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is there anything which either of you want to

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