Day 270 - 28 Jun 96 - Page 33


     
     1        cross-examination with each of them.  Again, that is not a
     2        guarantee.  If I ran to four, they would have to live with
     3        it, if your Lordship would permit it.
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.  My only concern is that we do finish
     6        the evidence by -- when does Charlie's term end?
     7
     8   MR. MORRIS:  My son's term, I cannot remember, to be honest.
     9
    10   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, I think it is Friday the 19th, in fact.
    11        I know that because I check it against the day on which
    12        I----
    13
    14   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  My main concern is that we finish the
    15        evidence in the middle of next month.  If it can be done by
    16        Thursday the 18th or Friday the 19th, so much the better
    17        because of your own arrangements, because if we do not we
    18        have just got to go on.  There is no question of having a
    19        long vacation break then, with just a tiddly bit of
    20        evidence to come, even if it may be important evidence.
    21
    22        So, for those very practical reasons, it is very important
    23        to finish the evidence in the middle of next month.
    24        Provided that can be done, I am fairly relaxed about having
    25        short days because, having got this far through the
    26        evidence in the case, short days are just further
    27        preparation time and everyone is going to have a
    28        considerable amount of preparation time.  At the moment I
    29        have in mind until about the beginning of the autumn term
    30        in order to prepare or carry on with the preparation of
    31        submissions.
    32
    33        So, with those factors in mind, provided everyone is
    34        confident that we will finish the evidence in the middle of
    35        next month, I am content to have just Mr. Brett on Monday
    36        and Mr. Gravett on Tuesday.  If he runs over into
    37        Wednesday, then he has to run over, but it is obviously
    38        hoped that that can be avoided.  Mr. Smith on Wednesday,
    39        Ms. Lapporte on Thursday; both Mr. Brooke and Mr. Moseley
    40        for Friday, if you propose to call them.  Then I will be
    41        content that we do not start Ms. Steel's evidence until
    42        Monday the 8th.
    43
    44   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, on that basis, if we are going to get
    45        preparation time throughout next week, which quite
    46        obviously we are, the evidence of the Defendants ought to
    47        run seamlessly through -- that sounds like a hostage to
    48        fortune -- but it ought to run seamlessly through and ought
    49        to finish sometime in the middle of the week beginning the
    50        15th. 
    51 
    52   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I hope that that is the way it falls out. 
    53        The only other matter is this.  I have only looked very
    54        quickly at this.  I will take it away and read it, the
    55        Notice of Intention to Apply for Leave to Issue Third
    56        Party.  I merely say this now while Mr. Rampton is here in
    57        case he does not come back at 2 o'clock and Mr. Atkinson
    58        represents McDonald's interests while you read Civil
    59        Evidence Act statements, two things:  Firstly, an
    60        application to issue third party proceedings is not a

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