Day 278 - 11 Jul 96 - Page 45
1 particularly surprising if, because of the amount of stress
2 we are under, from time to time, we -- well, me, really,
3 has been, as I said the other day, a bit short fused.
4 Particularly, if my personal character is being attacked,
5 as it has been by Mr. Rampton in particular, I am likely to
6 defend myself and argue strongly against it.
7
8 I also wanted to say about some of the things that
9 were said yesterday. I note that throughout this case, and
10 even before this trial started, there has been all sorts of
11 veiled assertions about myself and Mr. Morris trying to
12 intimidate people or, you know, what have you. And we had
13 the business with what I was supposed to have said to
14 Michelle Hooker when I spoke to her on the phone and she
15 denied who she was. And just to say that all these things
16 that have been put forward to try and slur our characters,
17 not once has Mr. Rampton called a witness to get in the
18 witness box and say any of these things. And if he had the
19 courage of his convictions, you know, he would do that.
20 The reason the plaintiffs have not done that is because
21 they are all based on just a pure attempt to smear us,
22 which I completely reject.
23
24 MR. MORRIS: Could I just speak to Miss Steel about a legal
25 matter?
26
27 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. Speak to her at close of play and then
28 tell me about it in the morning.
29
30 MS. STEEL: Can I just say about the things that were said to
31 have happened in other hearings? Obviously, as I say, Mr.
32 Rampton is not calling any evidence. I am sure that in
33 private conversations with Mr. Morris after hearings I may
34 have expressed my frustration, and that may have included
35 some swear words. But if Mr. Rampton wants to eavesdrop on
36 our private conversations, that is his problem. I have
37 heard him swearing, but you know. And in fact he has
38 actually sworn directly at us before now. I do not really
39 see that it is anything relevant.
40
41 I have certainly never "turned the air blue" as he
42 described it, sworn out loud in general across the Appeal
43 Court or outside Master Grant's court, and I would
44 certainly never have used the C word which Mr. Rampton
45 referred to yesterday, as I consider it to be a sexist term
46 and something which just does not occur in my vocabulary.
47
48 The other thing about the description about what
49 happened with Master Grant is I did not remember the
50 specific hearing. I did remember a hearing in front of
51 Master Grant. Mr. Rampton, as part of his description
52 about what had occurred which I, you know, which is
53 completely incorrect, as I said yesterday, as part of his
54 description he said that it was a hearing where our case on
55 rainforest was going to be struck out unless we got some
56 pleadings, or unless we got -- I will find what he said
57 actually.
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It was suggested that unless you served
60 statements during a period of time, I think, or may be it
