Day 165 - 27 Sep 95 - Page 10
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2 MR. MORRIS: It is meant to be our argument.
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4 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, it is not. If you recall, the position
5 is this: Ms. Steel made her application for discovery of
6 these matters. Mr. Rampton replied to it or answered it.
7 You will then have an opportunity to reply to his answer
8 and that will be the end of the argument. Mr. Rampton has
9 stood up again this morning because we did not have Thorpe
10 yesterday. When he has finished his argument on that, then
11 you will have your right of reply as the makers of the
12 original application for discovery.
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14 MR. MORRIS: He did say he had finished his argument and we were
15 starting to reply and now Mr. Rampton wants to come back
16 before we have actually -----
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18 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. Mr. Rampton was still on his feet when
19 Ms. Steel said something which Mr. Rampton now wants to
20 deal with. Just stay calm. You will have ample
21 opportunity to reply in due course.
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23 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I am just waiting for an answer to the
24 interrogatories. I will only give your Lordship one
25 example otherwise it will take forever. My Lord, on page 2
26 of Mr. Clare's statement -- I do not know if your Lordship
27 still has that -- at paragraphs 8 and 9 he says that there
28 was a meeting of the group at 6 Ensley Street on 22nd
29 February 1990. He says that amongst other people Ms. Steel
30 was there and that the anti-McDonald's fight was discussed
31 amongst other things.
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33 On 3rd November 1992 (which is a lot closer to
34 22nd February 1990 than we are today) interrogatories were
35 served on Ms. Steel which asked the question: "Did you not
36 on" (this is interrogatory No. 34) "22nd February 1990 or
37 on some other date, and if so when, attend an open meeting
38 of London Greenpeace at 5 Ensley Street, London?" Answer
39 by Ms. Steel -- this is unequivocal; it is a one word
40 answer -- "No." That answer was served on 1st March 1993
41 on oath. My Lord, that is just an example.
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43 I will add this -- then I will sit down because I have,
44 I think, finished now -- that I am not complaining that
45 I have not so far had supplementary witness statements from
46 the Defendants on these issues. However, it may assist the
47 Defendants when they come to make such supplementary
48 statements as, in my submission, they must in good time
49 before the enquiry agents give evidence, to look back at
50 these answers to interrogatories made, as I say, much
51 nearer the time of the events than we are now.
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53 MS. STEEL: I want to come back on something but I would like,
54 if it is possible, to have two minutes to speak to
55 Mr. Morris outside court?
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57 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, I will come back at ten past 11.
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59 (Short Adjournment)
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