Day 045 - 03 Nov 94 - Page 32
1 A. Certainly, we would get publicity for it. I am not
2 sure that was the objective of it, but we would get very
3 good publicity from it.
4
5 Being a good businessman and being a participant in the
6 community goes hand in hand.
7
8 Q. There are many people who do good things for the
9 community. By and large, they do not do it -- or they are
10 not trying to get free publicity for it?
11 A. The publicity is part of it, but I know of many
12 owner/operators who spend a considerable amount of time and
13 effort, with no regard to what the publicity is; they do it
14 because they like doing it and they do it because they
15 think it is right. If publicity accrues to it as well,
16 then that is fine. There are operators that do it just for
17 the publicity, but I think the majority of them do it
18 because they feel good about doing it.
19
20 Q. Do you remember an instant where McDonald's was thinking of
21 donating an elephant to a local zoo in Virginia?
22 A. No, I do not.
23
24 Q. You do not remember that?
25 A. No.
26
27 MS. STEEL: I will read it out to see whether it might refresh
28 your memory. The elephant did not actually get donated in
29 the end. McDonald's was going to-----
30
31 MR. RAMPTON: No, my Lord. That is not the right way to do it.
32 This is an inadmissible document. The witness having said,
33 "No, I do not know anything about that", the right course
34 is for Ms. Steel to show the witness the document, not
35 describe its contents, not read it out, not ask the witness
36 to read it out. I am not concerned about your Lordship, of
37 course; that is not my problem, as your Lordship knows. It
38 is what misuse is later made of the material. But the
39 witness should be shown the document and asked whether he
40 adheres to his answer in the light of what he has read.
41
42 MR. MORRIS: It seems to me that Mr. Rampton is not making a
43 legal objection; he is making some kind of political
44 objection to material being read out, in case it is later
45 "misused".
46
47 As far as we can see, it is normal practice to put to a
48 witness a particular situation. If he then says he does
49 not remember, okay. I think Helen is entirely entitled to
50 ask him, to see if he can refresh his memory.
51
52 MR. JUSTICE BELL: She should do it by showing him the
53 document. The reason for the practice may very well be
54 exactly what you have said, not just in this case but there
55 have been cases where the opportunity has merely been taken
56 to read out in public some particular matter, in the hope
57 it will be reported, even though the witness's answer will
58 be, "Well, I know nothing about that", so that it has no
59 evidential value but it is given publicity.
60
