Day 097 - 06 Mar 95 - Page 08

     
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     2   MR. RAMPTON:  I may.
     3
     4   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Because one cannot remember everything in
     5        this case.  I thought it was raised in Mr. Morris' letter
     6        written towards the end of the Christmas vacation.  What
     7        I said was, we had a bit of a discussion about the week
     8        beginning 20th February.  It was decided in the end that
     9        we not sit that week unless there was an over-run into the
    10        beginning of it.  I said I would reserve that the court did
    11        not sit in what is the Whit Week next term, and I was not
    12        prepared to make a decision one way or the other on the
    13        Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Maunday Thursday.
    14
    15   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, what I had in mind was this -- it is
    16        intended to be constructive -- bearing in mind that the
    17        Easter break has now an extra day-and-a-half tacked on to
    18        the end of it because your Lordship is not available to sit
    19        for that Tuesday and half Wednesday, that that is not very
    20        long -- there is a bank holiday in between -- before the
         Whitsun break which starts at the end of May, bearing in
    22        mind the letter from the doctor, that we are just about to
    23        embark on two weeks solid evidence, that, according to
    24        Mr. Morris, his witnesses are only going to take 10 days
    25        which, as I say, I believe to be an overestimate, what your
    26        Lordship might consider is whether, for the benefit of
    27        Ms. Steel's health and for no other reason, there ought not
    28        to be, perhaps, a break at the beginning of the week after
    29        next, that is to say, 20th March and start the Defendants'
    30        evidence on rearing and slaughter and food poisoning on
    31        27th or thereabouts.
    32
    33   MR. MORRIS:  Can I interject?
    34
    35   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You can in a moment, yes, but just wait.
    36        I would like an enquiry to be made in relation to whether
    37        Mr. Beavers, if need be, could come earlier or right at the
    38        beginning of the next term by which I mean as soon as I can
    39        sit in the next term.
    40
    MR. RAMPTON:  Your Lordship at the moment, I think, is saying
    42        2 o'clock on the 26th?
    43
    44   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, that is because of various meetings
    45        I have to attend.
    46
    47   MR. RAMPTON:  I know that.  We will certainly make enquiries.
    48
    49   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I would be grateful if you would make that
    50        enquiry, and I will say no more at this stage.  All I will 
    51        say is it may be that we will not sit those three days. 
    52        I have not decided on that. 
    53
    54   MR. RAMPTON:  I am just about to get a note.  I think it may be
    55        that he is not that flexible.  I am told that all the
    56        executives for McDonald's fix their diaries at the
    57        beginning of the year for the whole year.  He has left that
    58        blank.  Of course, we shall do our very best to see how
    59        flexible he can be.  It may be that he cannot come any
    60        earlier and will have to go off again to some other time,