Day 249 - 14 May 96 - Page 03

     
     1
     2   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Where are you?
     3
     4   MS. STEEL:   On page 4, (ii).  It is part of 7A.2, which starts
     5        on the previous page.
     6
     7   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We will have to wait and see.  It is not
     8        necessarily hearsay, it might be.  What we have done in the
     9        past where things are not necessarily hearsay where
    10        objection has been taken to your witnesses' statements if
    11        they were necessarily hearsay I have excluded them; if not,
    12        they have gone in and then Mr. Rampton in cross-examination
    13        has sought to ascertain whether they are hearsay or not.
    14
    15   MS. STEEL:   It is also irrelevant anyway.  I mean, I am
    16        basically making a formal objection.  So that is my
    17        position.  The next one is paragraph 9, the last sentence,
    18        the part in brackets at the very end, I am objecting to
    19        that, although I may want to ask the witness questions
    20        about it anyway so I do not know whether there is much
         point.
    22
    23   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Which one is that?
    24
    25   MS. STEEL:   About the name Webster.  I am objecting to it on
    26        the grounds that we kept asking the Plaintiffs for further
    27        and better particulars of this and I did say at the time
    28        that I would object if they brought it up at trial at a
    29        later date.  However, it may go to the accuracy of any
    30        information that was given which, obviously, is hearsay
    31        anyway way to Mr. Nicholson.
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think I need to know.  There is no doubt
    34        about identity, is there; that you were the person there
    35        and holding one end of the banner at an earlier stage?
    36
    37   MS. STEEL:   I am not denying that I was at the protest, and
    38        that at some stage I was holding one end of the banner.
    39        However, that does not necessarily mean that ---
    40
    MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, if there was an issue about identity then
    42        it might be relevant to have any name in which you were
    43        identified to the witness; if there is no issue about
    44        identity then you might be right in your objection.  That
    45        is the only reason I ask.
    46
    47   MS. STEEL:   I am not sure I understand.  Well, really because
    48        I want to ask Mr. Nicholson about the ----
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is there any reason why my screen keeps going 
    51        out every two or three minutes? 
    52        (Problem with computer screen) 
    53
    54   MS. STEEL:   The position is that basically because I want to
    55        ask Mr. Nicholson about the information he was
    56        getting ----
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do not worry about that, if it is not
    59        admissible in the first instance I will exclude it and it
    60        is entirely up to you whether you explore it in