Day 039 - 20 Oct 94 - Page 55
1 come to a medical expert it may be a different situation.
2 I have, I have to say, Mr. Rampton, a slight anxiety about
3 where we go with regard to Professor Crawford in so far as
4 there may be loose ends. But I find it very difficult to
5 set out any general principle in vacuo as to what or what
6 must not be challenged or put or explored.
7
8 MR. RAMPTON: I have taken the line which your Lordship has
9 indicated so far as I can in this case, that where a
10 witness has said something with which I do not necessarily
11 agree, but where cross-examination would simply be a
12 question of parading through the witness before your
13 Lordship those learned papers or other matters of evidence
14 which I say demonstrate with the witness may be wrong; I do
15 not see any point with judge alone in going through that
16 exercise. It takes an awful long time, as it did with
17 Dr. Barnard. I did it with him. I did not want to do it
18 again with Professor Crawford, but I am quite happy to do.
19
20 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I tell you what my anxiety about that is. If
21 you did do that, and I appreciate the effort to save time,
22 I am sure everyone does because no-one who is taking an
23 active part in this court -- I include the Defendants --
24 really wants the case to last any longer than it has to
25 do. But it might be said, and they might say especially
26 since they are appearing in person: "Well, Mr. Rampton
27 says that to you now looking at this paper, but we do not
28 know what answer Professor Crawford might have come up
29 with. We do not have Professor Crawford's expertise and
30 experience, so we cannot see what he might have said".
31
32 I do not think I can usefully say more at the moment. If
33 you do not mind, I think a bit more thought ought to be
34 given to the circumstances. I appreciate you are not
35 amicus. You have two clients which you must represent,
36 although you have a duty to the court, that does not go as
37 far as being amicus against what may or may not be in your
38 own clients' interests. That I am quite clear about.
39
40 What I am anxious about is if something is left to the end
41 of the day to put in argument, and then Mr. Morris or
42 Ms. Steel might stand up and say: "That all sounds very
43 good, but Professor Crawford might have had an answer to
44 that". I am repeating myself.
45
46 MR. RAMPTON: We have all heard what your Lordship has said.
47
48 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Press on with Dr. Millstone. If it is
49 helpful in any way we may have time to come back to this,
50 if necessary, tomorrow afternoon.
51
52 MR. MORRIS: We have referred the court to that letter. I do
53 not think we need to go into it in detail. Some of the
54 main points have been expressed from Dr. Adrian Samuels.
55 Is there anything else you would like to say about MSG?
56 A. No, I do not believe there is.
57
58 Q. Potassium Bromate is the next point. Can you put your case
59 about Potassium Bromate?
60
