Day 260 - 11 Jun 96 - Page 39


     
     1   MR. HALL:  Yes, that is right.
     2
     3   MR. RAMPTON:  That is right.  That is what I meant.
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What it occurs to me, then -- it may lead to
     6        a certain patchiness, it may not -- but if we can carry on
     7        with the evidence of Mr. Bishop; if and when we finish
     8        Mr. Bishop's evidence, subject to any further disclosure,
     9        subject to the completion of Mr. Bishop's evidence, subject
    10        to any party asking for him to come back to the witness
    11        box, if there is any further discovery, I would like to go
    12        on with Mr. Pocklington; and the same applies to him.  If
    13        it ends up with some patchy procedure, that seems better to
    14        me than having a larger break.
    15
    16   MR. RAMPTON:  I heartily agree with that.
    17
    18   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Obviously, I would like to take advantage of
    19        Mr. Hall's help, and, since that is the way I see it, it
    20        should be heard, provided it does not prejudice you (which
    21        it does not) at a time which is convenient to him.
    22
    23   MR. RAMPTON:  No, it does not prejudice me at all.
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  So, I will hear argument on that, subject to
    26        anything happening in the meantime, on Thursday.  It is
    27        obviously entirely a matter for Mr. Hall whether and how
    28        long he stays.
    29
    30   MR. HALL:  Thank you, my Lord.
    31
    32   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, there are two other things I ought to
    33        raise.  The first is, it looks to me, since we have only
    34        got in the chronology of 1992, 14th June 1996, that I could
    35        ask your Lordship to release Mr. Pocklington for today.
    36
    37   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.  That is sensible, is it, Ms. Steel and
    38        Mr. Morris?
    39
    40   MS. STEEL:   Probably, yes.
    41
    42   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If we finish Mr. Bishop, we will have a
    43        slightly earlier day.
    44
    45   MR. RAMPTON:  Then there is a knock-on the question about --
    46        I have faithfully followed your Lordship's direction, which
    47        is to have my witnesses stacked up so far as I could, and
    48        I have done for the inquiry agents in pairs; and I ask the
    49        question whether I need to have Mr. Clare here tomorrow.
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I would suggest not, but if he can be 
    52        somewhere near a phone just before midday, in case anything 
    53        happens and he has to be called.
    54
    55   MR. RAMPTON:  I am grateful.  There is one other thing I do need
    56        to mention, because -- I would not normally mention a
    57        matter of this kind, but since it has caused a considerable
    58        degree of disquiet for the people concerned, I am bound to
    59        mention it, since it may in fact constitute a contempt of
    60        court.  I am instructed -- I was not there -- that as my

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