Day 249 - 14 May 96 - Page 10

     
     1
     2   MR. RAMPTON:  Apart from wanting to find out about the leaflet,
     3        and who might be responsible for it and for the
     4        anti-McDonald's campaign?
     5        A.  Yes.
     6
     7   Q.   What other, if any, considerations motivated your
     8        instructions to the inquiry agents?
     9        A.  There was a concern in my mind that there could be
    10        links between London Greenpeace and animal liberation
    11        groups.
    12
    13   Q.   What had generated that concern in your mind?
    14        A.  Yes.
    15
    16   Q.   What had?
    17        A.  Well, one, I had spoken to members of Special Branch
    18        and, two, I had received -- and I am not sure from where --
    19        literature relating to the activities of London Greenpeace
    20        which showed that they supported the activities of the
         animal liberation groups.
    22
    23   MS. STEEL:   Can we have a pause, please?
    24
    25   MR. RAMPTON:  Sorry.  Do you remember now what that literature
    26        was?
    27        A.  I have in my mind that it is the aims and objectives of
    28        London Greenpeace.
    29
    30   Q.   What, the one that Mr. Preston ----
    31        A.  The one that Mr. Preston referred to.  I am not sure
    32        where it came from; I have good reason to believe where it
    33        came from, but I am not quite sure.
    34
    35   Q.   Now, why was it in September, early October, 1989 that you
    36        were concerned on behalf of McDonald's about possible
    37        animal rights connections with this group?
    38        A.  We had had a number of attacks on our premises by
    39        groups claiming to be animal liberation groups.
    40
    Q.   Can you pause there?  To whom, so far as you are aware,
    42        were those claims made?
    43        A.  There were 2 incidents in April in Birmingham and they
    44        were made to police.  Police came to us and said, 'We have
    45        had claims from the Animal Liberation Front that incendiary
    46        devices have been placed in your store', and in both of the
    47        stores in Birmingham on one particular day -- the date
    48        escapes me, round about 19th April -- an incendiary device
    49        was, in fact, ignited in both of those restaurants.
    50 
    51   Q.   That was information -- the animal rights connection was 
    52        information... 
    53        A.  From police.
    54
    55   Q.   From the police?
    56        A.  Yes, indeed.
    57
    58   Q.   How many such incidents had there been during 1989 before
    59        you instructed these inquiry agents?
    60        A.  Yes.  There had been the two in Birmingham, one in