Day 073 - 13 Jan 95 - Page 55


     
     1        days, Monday 6th, Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th?  He is
     2        Mrs. Crawford's assistant.
     3
     4   MR. RAMPTON:  Yes.  He covers a lot of ground.  He is
     5        principally food safety.  My Lord, I have given up giving
     6        estimates.  In my respectful submission, he should not be
     7        more than two days, but I have allowed three days and he
     8        has the rest of the week, if it is needed.  One knows what
     9        happens; one puts something else in there, particularly if
    10        it is somebody from outside the company, one finds that
    11        Mr. Kenny has not finished and then one has the dilemma:
    12        Does Mr. Kenny go away or does the other person have to be
    13        put off?
    14
    15        Again, I am in your Lordship's hands.  I will schedule
    16        people as far as we can wherever your Lordship thinks it is
    17        right to do so, as to which the Defendants' input is only a
    18        part.  There is the convenience of the witnesses to be
    19        considered as well as the overall length of the case.
    20
    21   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I appreciate that.  The bottom line is that
    22        if we do not reach a solution which pays some attention to
    23        the interests of everyone, one just abandons it altogether,
    24        and you call all your witnesses in a row and then the
    25        Defendants call all theirs.  I do not think that is a
    26        satisfactory position to be forced into.
    27
    28   MR. RAMPTON:  I have never submitted it was because, to be
    29        honest, I do not believe the Defendants could cope with
    30        that.  That is the reason I never proposed it.
    31        Mrs. Brinley-Codd has said -- I endorse it -- that it is
    32        absolute madness to put anybody in on Friday 10th or even
    33        the 9th.  It is much better the Defendants have another day
    34        or another two days to get ready for the next week which is
    35        Mr. Bowes and Dr. Pattison.  I do not know what your
    36        Lordship is proposing for the week of the 20th?
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I was proposing that we have not more than
    39        two days working during that week.  If you call
    40        Mr. Chambers on Monday 20th, going into Tuesday 21st, or if
    41        Mr. Morris said, "No, if I have to be at court" or "let the
    42        case go on without me for two working days", if that were
    43        the choice, I would prefer a witness to be in on the
    44        Thursday or Friday.  It has to be two days at the beginning
    45        or the end.  The alternative, Mr. Rampton, is to have the
    46        whole of that week off, as much as you dislike the idea,
    47        then get a straight run for Mr. Gomez Gonzales through the
    48        following week with Mr. Chambers if he is available to be
    49        put in on Monday 6th.
    50 
    51   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, yes.  This does to some extent depend on 
    52        Mr. Chambers' availability. 
    53
    54   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I would like you, if you would, to ask
    55        Mr. Chambers if he can cover those two days.
    56
    57   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, obviously I will not argue with your
    58        Lordship, but if in addition to the three weeks they have
    59        just had and the five days they are about to have at the
    60        end of next week and beginning of the week after, they get

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