Day 274 - 04 Jul 96 - Page 45
1 MS. STEEL: Yes. Okay.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: But I think it is up to you to contact them
4 and there will certainly be no objection from me, and I do
5 not suppose from Mr. Rampton, in your arranging that while
6 you are actually giving your evidence yourself. Do you see
7 what I mean? If you need to communicate, there is nothing
8 wrong with that.
9
10 MR. RAMPTON: No, there is only one thing I want to say, and
11 administration is nothing to do with me, and even if it
12 interrupts my cross-examination of the defendants I am not
13 going in the least bit bothered. The only thing I would
14 say is this, Mr. Morris's stated intention to withdraw from
15 the subpoena, allowing Lord Vestey to be called by Ms.
16 Steel, is an obvious ploy to allow Mr. Morris to
17 cross-examine Lord Vestey.
18
19 MR. MORRIS: Well, you do hot know what my opinion is at all.
20
21 MR. RAMPTON: I am suggesting it.
22
23 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I do not think that can be so, because as far
24 as I am concerned Mr. Morris would be in great difficulty
25 cross-examining Lord Vestey in the circumstances which
26 prevail. It would clearly be nothing but a ruse, and I
27 would be very unlikely to allow it. But I have got no
28 reason to suppose that that is what Mr. Morris has got in
29 mind.
30
31 MS. STEEL: Can I ask about that, because actually there is a
32 disagreement between us? I want to call him, Mr. Morris
33 does not.
34
35 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, I have just, I hope, made it clear that I
36 am not assuming that there is any kind of ruse. I am
37 perfectly prepared for the purposes of the procedural
38 conduct of the action to accept that you want to call him
39 and that Mr. Morris does not want him to give evidence.
40
41 MR. RAMPTON: I only raise the point because Mr. Morris might
42 have been labouring under the impression that...
43 (Inaudible)
44
45 MR. JUSTICE BELL: If there is any argument about what
46 Mr. Morris can or cannot do we will deal with it when we
47 actually come to it.
48
49 MR. MORRIS: My Lord, I certainly agree with what Ms. Steel
50 said. That was my intention. I did not want to call him.
51 If he is going to be called by any party I would be
52 entitled to cross-examine him as far as my understanding of
53 the law is.
54
55 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, we will have to have a look at it and
56 when I have been reminded of what the procedural pros and
57 cons are I will make an appropriate decision. It may very
58 well, as so many procedural things do, depend upon the
59 extent to which a certain course is taken.
60
