Day 258 - 07 Jun 96 - Page 54
1 would do a report to Paul Preston, copy me. I mean, it is
2 courtesy, of course, because he is the President of the
3 Company and it comes to me because I was, at that time, his
4 departmental head.
5
6 Q. Why would it go to Mrs. Brinley-Codd?
7 A. Because everything to do with demonstrations at Head
8 Office we will send over to our solicitors and they would
9 advise us whether or not there was any further action to
10 take.
11
12 Q. So, if there had been pickets at Head Office on previous
13 occasions there would have been reports of those as well?
14 A. No, not necessarily, because the one in '87 was, in my
15 opinion -- I was there -- it was a damp squib, it was not
16 worth reporting. He would certainly have done one in '88.
17 I feel confident he would have done one in '88.
18
19 Q. Did you ask Mr. Carroll where he says about, "I obtained
20 photographs of all the demonstrators and I will have them
21 identified in due course". Did you ask him about where he
22 was going to get them identified?
23 A. No.
24
25 Q. Because it would have saved you a lot of time, would it
26 not? You would not have had to bother with all these
27 inquiry agents?
28 A. No. To be perfectly honest, I had already set out the
29 inquiry agents. I just let that pass by.
30
31 Q. You did not take any notice of it at all?
32 A. Very little. That was just an interdepartmental report
33 which contained nothing that I did not already know.
34
35 Q. You said that whenever there was a picket at Head Office
36 there would be a report done and you would send it to the
37 solicitors in case there was any action to be taken?
38 A. Yes.
39
40 Q. If it is just a peaceful demonstration, there is no one
41 hurling bricks, or whatever, there is not going to be any
42 action to take, is there?
43 A. No, it is a formal letter almost, is it not?
44
45 Q. Unless you have already decided that you are going to bring
46 proceedings?
47 A. I had, but Terry Carroll did not know.
48
49 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do you mean unless you had already decided to
50 bring proceedings, was the phrase Ms. Steel used. I know
51 you said you decided to investigate further?
52 A. Yes, I beg your pardon, my Lord; that is right,
53
54 Q. Is that what you meant?
55 A. What I meant was I had already decided I was going to
56 carry out an investigation.
57
58 MS. STEEL: You had already decided that you were going to bring
59 proceedings, had you not?
60 A. That was a distinct possibility. I was hoping that
