Day 233 - 26 03 96 - Page 55
DAY 233
1
2 Then one comes to the Defendants' rainforest witnesses. Of
3 course, so far as I am concerned, that is in a sense just
4 supposition. It is a suggestion that that is when they
5 should start. There are, in theory, 13 or 14 of them.
6 I do not believe it is even remotely possible it would take
7 13 or 14 days. As their evidence stands at present,
8 I would not expect them to take more than about five days
9 altogether, if that.
10
11 My Lord, I do not run them through in my mind right through
12 to the end of the week of 29th May. I do not run them
13 through in my head until 3rd May. I had envisaged that all
14 or most of that week would be time off, 29th May onwards -
15 that is assuming the Defendants are able to call their
16 rainforest witnesses at that time, which is the logical
17 place to put them, though obviously not the only place.
18
19 My Lord, then Monday, 6th May is a bank holiday. I have
20 put Mr. Preston in there because I know that he is
21 available for those three days - the 7th, the 9th and the
22 10th; not the 8th because he has a problem being here on
23 the 8th, but he still has his three days and the Defendants
24 have plenty of time before he comes back to reprepare their
25 cross-examination of him.
26
27 The next week is speculative, the one beginning the 13th in
28 this sense, that there is a gap. I want to fill it because
29 I want the case to end, and I have put in employment
30 witnesses with in mind that there is Mr. Brett, there is
31 Mr. Olive, and there is a possibility that we shall ask
32 your Lordship's leave to call one further employment
33 witness ourselves. I will not say any more about that at
34 the moment, save that she deals with the question of
35 overtime which might occupy those three together, maybe
36 two, two and a half, three days; again, leaving the end of
37 that week, maybe over half the week, blank.
38
39 I then devoted the week beginning the 20th, which need not
40 start on the 20th, the Monday, to further nutrition
41 evidence, which will certainly include Professor Crawford
42 and Mr. Fairgrieve, according to your Lordship's
43 indications. That is only two witnesses. Whether there
44 need to be more than that will depend in part, no doubt, on
45 what happens in the Court of Appeal next Tuesday.
46
47 Then from 27th May to the 3rd is what Mr. Morris would no
48 doubt call official holiday. It is about nine/ten days,
49 and then I would propose to start on 4th June.
50
51 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is legal vacation.
52
53 MR. RAMPTON: It is legal vacation, exactly, and the court does
54 not sit on Monday, 3rd. Term starts again on Tuesday, 4th,
55 and I would propose to start calling my publication
56 witnesses then, of whom there are six. I have allowed them
57 a day each. I am quite content, myself, to go straight on
58 after that to deal with the Defendants' publication
59 witnesses, of whom there are five. I would expect that
60 they would easily finish within five days, taking us
55
