Day 248 - 13 May 96 - Page 21


     
     1   MR. MORRIS:   I do not think Mr. Preston really needs to read
     2        it, the leaflet.
     3
     4   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I do not think he needs to pore over it.  The
     5        point is, it may be the same in various respects, it is not
     6        the leaflet, or a copy of the leaflet, Mr. Preston.  Carry
     7        on from there and see where we get to.
     8
     9   MS. STEEL:  The point to be made, Mr. Preston, is that in your
    10        leaflet that you circulated to all stores in this country
    11        criticising myself and Mr. Morris, or attacking us, and
    12        this magazine was one of the things you relied on as being
    13        necessary to put out the other side of the story as you see
    14        it, this leaflet that is referred to is, in fact, a copy of
    15        a leaflet which was altered to suit McDonald's and which
    16        basically you effectively considered was acceptable?
    17        A.  Is that a question?
    18
    19   MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, it is more like a query than a question.
    20        What I suggest you do is put a straight question to
    21        Mr. Preston.
    22
    23   MS. STEEL:   This leaflet here is the leaflet produced by
    24        Veggies after you had asked them to make amendments and
    25        which you never indicated to them that you were unsatisfied
    26        with.  In fact, you actually said that as long as they made
    27        the corrections that you asked for, that you were not going
    28        to take it any further?
    29        A.  I think the point about this is the people independent
    30        from us, employees of Sun Valley Poultry, found this in a
    31        publication in some entity they frequented and found it
    32        offensive.  It is a comment from a member of the public who
    33        found it to be offensive in some way, shape or form, quite
    34        possibly with that, and I do not remember the thinking at
    35        the time, but quite possibly out of that came a revisiting
    36        of the circumstances going forward; I do not recall.
    37
    38   Q.   But the point is that the public would have got a different
    39        impression had you stated the truth in your leaflets that
    40        you distributed country-wide and the press release that you
    41        sent out to the media if you had said the truth, which is
    42        that the leaflet that is referred to in the church magazine
    43        is one that you have effectively sanctioned?
    44        A.  I certainly have not sanctioned it.  The point is that
    45        someone from an unrelated entity found this offensive, let
    46        us know about it.
    47
    48   Q.   No, the point is you quoted it in your press release and
    49        leaflet and you got it wrong, yet again.
    50        A.  Well, I just disagree with that.  Again, probably a 
    51        matter for his Lordship. 
    52 
    53   Q.   OK.  If you could turn to tab 13?
    54        A.  Same book?
    55
    56   Q.   The same bundle, yes.
    57        A.  OK.
    58
    59   Q.   This is a confidential memo to all franchisees and
    60        restaurant managers from Edi Bensilum dated 18th March 1994

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