Day 261 - 12 Jun 96 - Page 19

     
     1        questions about his personal background, whether it is
     2        Army, or anything else, are relevant in the light of your
     3        cross-examination so far.
     4
     5   MS. STEEL:  It affects his training and experience; that is all.
     6
     7   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Well, in the light of the way you have
     8        cross-examined him, I cannot see that is of any relevance.
     9
    10   MS. STEEL:  Maybe in comparison to other agents who are to give
    11        evidence.
    12
    13   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I cannot see it is of any importance, apart
    14        from, perhaps, a natural inquisitiveness; that is all.
    15
    16   MS. STEEL:   Can I just ask: the warning that you gave the
    17        witness yesterday, does that still stand throughout his
    18        evidence, because I am just about to ask him -----
    19
    20   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Sorry?
    21
    22   MS. STEEL: The warning, the legal warning that you gave
    23        yesterday, does that still stand throughout the whole of
    24        Mr. Bishop's evidence?
    25
    26   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I only give it once.  Sometimes it is
    27        customary -- it is entirely a matter for the judge whether
    28        he repeats it or not.
    29
    30   MS. STEEL:   It is just because I have another question to ask.
    31
    32   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is not personal to the witness.  It is
    33        just one of the democratic rights of everyone who gives
    34        evidence in this country to be warned that if an answer may
    35        tend to incriminate them -- that is, render them
    36        susceptible to conviction for a criminal offence, not just
    37        an allegation of unreliability or dishonesty or
    38        negligence -- they are entitled to be warned that they need
    39        not answer the question.  In fact, Mr. Bishop went on and
    40        answered the question.  It is nothing personal to
         Mr. Bishop.
    42
    43   MS. STEEL:   No.  I understand that.
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It was merely that I could see that there
    46        might be an allegation of theft of a letter or, rather,
    47        that he might give an answer from which it might be
    48        inferred that he had stolen a letter, which obliged me, in
    49        my judgment, to give him the warning.
    50 
    51   MS. STEEL:   Right.  OK.  It is just that I have another 
    52        question to ask on a similar lines, and I just wanted to 
    53        know whether you needed to give another warning.
    54
    55   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   No.  (To the witness)  Well, you remember
    56        it, anyway?
    57        A.  Yes.
    58
    59   MS. STEEL:   Right.  Actually, this is not the question I was
    60        just about to ask. That letter that you took on