‘That must be him in there,’ he said. ‘You know, Joseph Hanlon. He’s giving evidence today.’
The other juror nodded.
‘We’d better get in. We don’t want him seeing us, do we?’
As he spoke another security officer beckoned them forward and they walked round the corner of the building and alongside the canal, passing a police officer armed with an automatic weapon. A pair of Canada geese that had built a nest a few feet beyond the jury entrance eyed them suspiciously, flapping their wings and honking loudly. Once inside, the other juror heaved a huge sigh of relief.
‘I don’t mind telling you I’m finding all this very stressful. I’ll be glad when it’s all over. All these armed police. I’m not enjoying it at all.’
‘Really? I think it’s quite exciting. I’m more worried about those damn geese. Come on, we don’t have to go all the way upstairs, we can go directly to the jury room. There’ll be an usher waiting for us on the first floor.’
* * * *
In the jury room the mood was growing increasingly tense. The judge had directed that the jurors trying Julia Hamilton were not to mix with other jurors in the assembly area on the top floor but to come directly to their room on arrival. Most of them had noticed the heavy police presence and the armed officers perambulating the court precinct. Although the previous day had seen intensive security when Duffy gave evidence, it somehow seemed much more concentrated today. The personal searching seemed more elaborate and intrusive than on previous days. It all added to the tension.
‘Big day today,’ said Bryan, as he removed his bicycle clips and smoothed down his trousers. ‘I’m quite looking forward to seeing this man Hanlon give evidence. I reckon Mr Everdene is going to have some fun with him.’
Miss Duston came through the door as he was speaking. Her bag seemed heavier than usual and when she placed it on the table, there was a cake tin peeping out of the top.
‘I’ve made some cup cakes,’ she said. ‘There’s enough to go round. I had to be quite firm with the security man. I think he wanted to confiscate them, but I talked him out of it. Unfortunately, I had to let him have one, but no problem. I anticipated that might happen, so I made thirteen. I think we deserve a bit more consideration than we presently receive sitting on a trial like this, don’t you?’
She smiled as several of the others gathered round the table. She removed the tin and opened the lid, displaying her individual culinary masterpieces. Twelve sponge cakes, iced and bearing individual sugar motifs.
‘I thought we’d have them at our morning break. Remember, the judge said we would have one today, before Joseph Hanlon is cross-examined.’
‘Can’t wait,’ said Hannah Mathews, ‘I mean, to try one of your cakes!’
Miss Duston looked at her watch.
‘We’ve got twenty minutes before we start. If we’re all here, perhaps we could discuss what we think of the case so far?’
‘Nathan’s not here yet,’ said one of the others. ‘He had to take his car to be serviced this morning. He said he wouldn’t be here until 10.15. But he promised not to be late. Look, here he is.’
Nathan Jennings burst into the room, breathing heavily.
‘I thought I’d never get here,’ he said. ‘My garage didn’t provide a courtesy car. I’ve had to get here by taxi – and the traffic! And I won’t get the taxi fare paid by the court either.’
He pulled off his coat and sat down heavily in a chair.
‘No chance of a cuppa tea, I suppose?’
Chapter Twenty-Five
Joseph Hanlon was already sitting in the witness box when the jury came into the courtroom. The judge smiled as they took their seats and wished them all ‘Good morning’ and then apologised for the slightly delayed start. When they had settled, the Attorney-General stood up. The usher asked Hanlon to stand and take the oath. The witness got to his feet. He held the testament at shoulder height and read the words from the card. He did not try and hide his Irish accent.
‘Would you prefer to sit?’ asked the judge, after the oath was taken.
‘I’m alright standing for now, yer Honour.’
The Attorney dealt with the preliminaries as quickly as he could. He took Hanlon through the details of his pleas of guilty and the sentences he had received then turned to the entry of Judge Campion’s home and the kidnapping of Mrs Campion and her son.
‘When were you first aware of any such plan?’
‘Grayling told me about it when he asked me to take charge. He said he couldn’t trust Duffy to see it through. It seemed pretty straightforward to me so I agreed.’
‘Can you help us as to when this was?
‘I came over to discuss the robbery of the security van from Retford. We didn’t know precisely when the delivery we were after would be made. I stayed at Grayling’s place for four days in March, from the 15th to the 19th. I didn’t agree anything until she – he looked at the dock – came to see Grayling. That was on the sixteenth.’
‘Had you discussed such a plan with Grayling before that date?’
‘He mentioned he might have a little job for me when I first arrived on the fifteenth, but I’d heard nothing about any kidnapping before then.’
‘I would like to deal with events of the sixteenth of March. Were you aware that Grayling was expecting a visitor that day?’
‘I was. Grayling put a suit on, special. He usually spent most of his time in his bed in his dressing gown. He never went out. A bed had been moved into his large sitting room, you know.’
‘You were aware he was unwell?’
‘Of course I was. He hadn’t been well for a couple of years, but he was a lot worse by March of last year. He knew his time was up. But it comes to us all’. He looked at the jury and smiled. ‘I’ve not been in the best of health myself.’
‘You can sit down if you wish,’ repeated the judge, coldly.
‘Thank you, but no. I prefer to stand in the presence of all these lawyers, if you don’t mind, sir? You can’t be too careful.’
Several jurors smiled.
The Attorney returned to the subject in hand.
‘Were you present when the visitor arrived?’
‘I was. I sat in a high backed chair at the other side of the room so I couldn’t be seen. Grayling didn’t want her to know I was there.’
‘Why did you not make your presence apparent?’
‘Haven’t I just told you? Grayling wanted it that way. Besides, I hadn’t decided whether I would get involved and I didn’t want her seeing me. I wanted to hear what the lady said. It didn’t matter to Grayling whether we got caught. He was on his way out – and he knew it. But it mattered to me. I knew if we were caught, the sentence would be a big one. Not that I expected to get thirty-nine years!’
He shook his head.
‘Did you see the visitor?’
‘No. I was already in the chair. I didn’t see her until after she left. I looked out of the window and saw her walk to the motorbike in the driveway. She didn’t put the helmet on until she got to the bike.’
‘Had you ever seen her before?’
‘Never.’
‘How long was she in your view?’
‘About half a minute.’
‘Were you able to see her face?’
‘Only for a couple of seconds. At one point she turned and looked back towards the house and brushed her hand through her hair. I remember thinking what a good looking woman she was.’
He turned and looked at Julia and smiled. She did not react.
‘How was she dressed?’
‘Motor cycle gear. Leather jacket and trousers. Very tight fitting as I recall. Emphasised her figure.’
‘Did you know Michael Doyle?
‘Never heard of him. Not until Grayling mentioned him. But I’ve learned a lot about him since
.’
‘Were you aware of any relationship between Doyle and the Defendant?
‘No. I knew nothing about either of them until Grayling told me she was coming. He said she was a looker. He was certainly right about that.’
He glanced towards the dock and smiled. Julia ignored him.
‘When did he mention she was coming?’
‘The day before she arrived.’
‘What did Grayling tell you?’
Everdene jumped to his feet.
‘We can’t have what Grayling told the witness about this, my Lord. The Defendant was not present.’
The Attorney nodded.
‘I withdraw the question. I shall ask it in another way.’
‘However you ask it, Mr Attorney, it will still be hearsay,’ said the judge with a smile. ‘Shall we move on?’
‘As your Lordship pleases.’
The Attorney turned to the conversation on 16 March which on the prosecution case took place in the presence of the defendant.
‘What did you hear said?’
‘Well now, Grayling asked her if she’d had a good journey. She’d obviously removed her helmet because I could hear her quite clearly. He offered her a drink, but she declined.’
‘What was said next?’
‘Grayling asked her how Doyle was. She said she didn’t know because she hadn’t seen him for a while. She then asked Grayling whether he was still prepared to arrange for the judge’s wife and son to be abducted. I particularly remember that. She didn’t say kidnapped. She said abducted.’
‘You said “whether he was still prepared to arrange” the kidnapping?’
‘That’s what she said.’
‘And Grayling’s reaction?’
‘He asked her what the purpose of it all was?’
‘And her reply?’
‘She said to put pressure on the judge to chuck out the case.’
‘Is that the phrase she used? “Chuck out”?’
‘I don’t think so. But that was the effect of it. She went into some long rambling explanation about the law. How if the case was stopped by the judge, Doyle would be free for long enough for the two of them to skedaddle.’
‘What was the point of law?’
‘I don’t pretend to understand it, but Grayling did. He asked her why she didn’t just leave it to the lawyers but she said the judge would see through it. She thought the judge was too bright to fall for it.’
He glanced at Mr Justice Hornbeam and smiled.
‘And she wanted a guaranteed outcome – not something that might not do the trick.’
‘She wasn’t prepared to leave it to the lawyers?’
‘No, she was not. How shall I put it? She seemed doubtful that the judge would see it their way.’
‘What was Grayling’s response?’
‘He asked if she was serious. He pointed out the possible consequences if it went wrong. She said she was deadly serious and to hell with the consequences.’
‘And Grayling?’
‘He said he would do it – for half a million pounds. He was obvious he was just testing her. He didn’t think she could produce that amount of cash.’
‘What did she say to that?’
‘She said Doyle would pay after it was done. The money would be available ready laundered in Europe.’
‘In Europe?’
‘That’s what she said. Grayling wanted it that way as well. He didn’t want to touch any cash from the Charnwood robbery.’
‘Nothing by way of a down payment?’
‘She offered a hundred grand by way of what you might call a non-returnable deposit, but Grayling turned her down. He wanted everything in one go, or so he said.’
‘Did he say why?’
‘Not until later. And if I tell you what he said we’ll have Mr Everdene here jumping to his feet again, I shouldn’t wonder.’
Everdene stood up.
‘On that, my Lord, my view entirely accords with that of Mr Hanlon.’
The judge smiled.
‘You have some legal knowledge then, Mr Hanlon?’
‘I wouldn’t go as far as that, but I’m not stupid. He jumped up last time when this fellow asked me something that Grayling said when the defendant wasn’t there. I’m a quick learner, you know.’
The Attorney cleared his throat and continued.
‘Did you know how this meeting on the sixteenth of March had been arranged?’
‘I did not. I supposed they must have spoken on the phone at some stage.’
‘What made you think they had spoken before?’
‘It just seemed obvious. She definitely said “are you still prepared.” Stands to reason they must have spoken before.’
‘Was there a phone in the sitting room?’
‘There was. One of those portable things. It was right next to where Grayling was sitting. He used it straight after she was gone.’
‘How were things left?’
‘Grayling told her not to contact him again. He would see to it. He would get in touch with her when it was done.’
‘How was contact to be made?’
‘He didn’t say.’
‘When the Defendant left, did you see who she left with?’
‘No.’
The Attorney looked sideways towards Cronshaw. He seemed thrown for a moment as if that was not the answer he had expected.
‘Did you see her leave?’
‘No. How could I? I was facing away from the two of them. I heard her leave, that’s all and after she’d left the house I looked through the window and saw her heading for the bike.’
‘Did you hear a motorcycle starting up?’
‘I did. And I saw it in the distance. It was some way down the drive.’
‘Did you see anyone else near the bike when you looked out of the window?’
‘I did. But they were a long way off.’
The Attorney paused, leant down and whispered something to Cronshaw. Cronshaw replied so no-one else could hear. The Attorney straightened up and addressed the witness.
‘This other person – did you see him - or her- more closely at any point?’
‘I did.’
The Attorney was obviously relieved.
‘Please tell us what you saw?’
‘While she was chatting to Grayling, I saw this woman walk past the window to my left hand side. I leant back in the chair so she couldn’t see me. She was talking on her phone. She didn’t have a helmet on, but she was in motorcycle gear. She was playing with her hair as she spoke on the phone. Long brown hair she had.’
‘Did you recognise her?’
‘I did not. I’d never seen her before in my life.’
The Attorney swallowed hard.
‘So, you can’t tell us who she was?’
‘I didn’t say that now, did I?’
The Attorney glared at him, his frustration only too evident.
‘What do you mean?’
Everdene half stood up and hovered as if he were about to intervene.
‘I told you. I hadn’t seen her before. But I did see her again, later.’
Everdene resumed his seat.
‘How much later?’
‘The following month, of course.
‘In what circumstances?’
‘When we went into the judge’s house. She was with us. But you already know that. She’s pleaded guilty.’
‘How much time did you spend with her?’
The Attorney was unable to disguise a degree of irritability with the witness who was obviously playing with him.
‘She was in the house with us for no more than ten minutes I would say. Then she went with the judge’s wife and boy. But we were in the Range Rover together when we travel
led to the house, so I spent a good hour or so in her company overall.’
‘Her name?’
‘Duffy’s daughter, Kelly Maguire I think she calls herself.’
‘The same woman you had seen at Grayling’s home on the sixteenth of March?’
‘The very same.’
The Attorney then dealt in detail with the kidnapping and blackmail.
‘Where had you travelled from when you carried out the kidnapping?’
‘Orley Farm, I think it’s called. Where the wife and boy were taken.’
‘Doyle’s property?’
‘Technically, yes. We heard he’d sold it but there was a problem with the planning permission.’
‘A remote spot?’
‘You can say that again. Middle of nowhere.’
‘How did you get there?’
‘I travelled from Grayling’s house. Adam and Liam picked me up from there in the Range Rover.’
‘Where did Kelly Maguire join you?’
‘At Orley farm. She was on her motor bike. I think she said she’d come from Wales. She put her bike in the barn.’
‘Who provided the Range Rover?’
‘Duffy did. He dealt with all of that sort of thing. He was the quartermaster. All he was fit for!’
A Private and Convenient Place Page 23