CHAPTER 36
Walking into the courtroom Cate immediately realised that, although she'd been called to testify, the court wasn't actually ready for her and there was a very tense atmosphere. Wanting to get this over and done with, but believing it might be a while before they were in a position to question her, she asked one of the clerks what had happened. Having been in court earlier, the clerk was able to explain that there'd been several scuffles between the officers who were guarding Skinny Pete and the parents of the abducted children! It was obvious to her then that one of those altercations must have occurred just before Peter Bage frightened the life out of Nigel, although he'd been returned to the courtroom since then.
Cate watched as the prosecuting barrister drew the court's attention to the photograph of Nigel in the park, taken when he was six. That photo had only been released to the defence three days before the trial, so they were hard pressed to find a satisfactory answer as to why two of their clients, plus one other man, were in it! The best thing the defence barrister could come up with was that their clients had been incorrectly identified and that the prosecution were simply grasping at straws to find evidence against them!
Of course, as the photograph had been enlarged and was being displayed on a large screen, it made it easy for the judge and everyone else to see that it was, in fact, Maria and Skinny Pete, as they both had quite unique facial features.
Following disclosure of the photo, the courtroom erupted once again and several people, including the parents of the kidnapped or murdered children, were heard to shout "you monsters are done for now!" and "you can't deny you were spying on that kid!" etc. However, try as they might, all the defence managed to think of was that birthmarks, such as Maria's, are common and the other two men in the photo could be anyone!
Once the courtroom had calmed down, Cate was asked to give evidence, which included going through the statements she'd taken. She was then cross-examined by the defendant's barrister, who tried to make the judge believe that Cate was biased, as she was a personal friend of the main witnesses and would only have taken down things to incriminate his clients; rather than the truth! However, as none of the witnesses had contradicted each other and the statements were actually backed up with other evidence, such as photos of the various injuries they'd suffered, that accusation held little weight.
Unfortunately, when she'd been dismissed, Cate was unable to return to the room at the back of the court, as she was not permitted to discuss what she'd testified to with anyone else, especially other witnesses who'd not yet given evidence. Thankfully, she was feeling quite positive as she left the courtroom and didn't mind at all having to sit in the waiting area in case she was called again.
At around 1.30 p.m. lunch was brought into the back room for everyone, although Cate's food was, obviously, taken away again and brought to her in the waiting area.
Nigel ate well; as he was confident that Cate would have done a good job and proved that Ferreira and his gang were guilty as charged. Unfortunately, however, although she'd done superbly, after she left the court the defence started to try and make the judge believe that Sydney, Preston and Nigel were actually thieves who'd broken into Ferreira's property for the purpose of stealing valuable paintings! In response, however, the prosecution had been very quick to point out that two of them were actually highly respected Relic Hunters and that both Bailey brothers were multi-millionaires, who'd no reason to do such a thing!
Having been called into testify further, Cate managed to produce documentary evidence, from various museums and art galleries, that proved that the paintings referred to had already been stolen when Sydney, Nigel and Preston discovered them inside the mansion. Cate, of course, explained then that the only reason they were actually in Ferreira's house was to check out what he and his gang were up to these days, bearing in mind Nigel had recognised some of them as his childhood kidnappers!
The judge was amazed that Nigel had been able to convince anyone that he could still recognise his abductors, especially when that horrible event had occurred such a long time ago and in a different country! However, he listened with interest as Cate explained that Nigel had an amazing memory and had, in fact, recognised two of his captors from photographs taken by Sydney Fox. Cate went on to explain that Sydney, Nigel and Preston were completely shocked to have found such a large amount of stolen works of art and evidence of other crimes at the mansion. Naturally, she also informed the court that all of the stolen items would eventually be returned to their rightful owners; 90% of which had already been notified.
Unbeknown to Cate, however, the defence barrister called Ferreira to the stand, just after she left the courtroom, in the hope that he'd be able to convince the court that he'd bought the paintings legitimately and had no idea they'd been stolen. Naturally, the thug lied quite well, just as they'd planned to, prior to going to court. However, the prosecution soon showed how some of the paintings were so famous and valuable that their loss was reported on the television news and in the papers, worldwide, making it very unlikely that Ferreira was telling the truth.
Feeling quite stuffed after lunch, having eaten an extra dessert, Derek was surprised to be called next to testify.
Having just heard evidence from Cate regarding what was found at the mansion, the prosecution barrister wanted to keep the momentum going by asking Derek, from personal experience, what he remembered about the house, and what other information he could provide about it. To make things simpler for the court, the barrister showed dozens of photographs on the large screen and questioned Derek about what they were seeing. Derek explained that some were of the secret room, whereas others were of the cells where he, Nigel and the twins were imprisoned. Others he advised were tunnels leading from Ferreira's house to a church or from the house to Ferreira's bunker! The bunker too was shown, including the room where Nigel was tortured!
Once the prosecution were finished with him, Derek was then cross-examination by the defence who tried all manner of tricks to make him look like he'd lied about being beaten and interrogated in various rooms in the mansion. Of course, photos of his, Nigel's and the twins injuries proved he'd told the truth and, obviously, the doctor's reports matched what the photos revealed!
Following disclosure of that evidence and the fact that Derek had gone into the mansion alone to rescue Nigel and had been beaten, the defence were hard pressed to show their clients were anything but monsters! The fact was, the more the Ferreira's barrister tried to make him and his gang look innocent; the worse they looked!
After Derek had completed his testimony, a couple of men, who'd been kidnapped by the gang when they were teenagers, were called to give evidence. Those men had been abducted during a birthday party, a couple of years after Nigel was taken, although no ransom was paid for them as they managed to escape by overpowering their captors. However, the prosecution then shocked the court by reading details of what had been done to them from a couple of files. This included being been kept naked and tied to a pole while they were raped and brutally beaten by Skinny Pete! Unfortunately, by the time the police were informed that the boys had turned up; the gang had disappeared and were, obviously, not caught until now!
When the two men had finished their testimony the Judge decided to adjourn as it was nearly 4.30 p.m. and it had been a very difficult day. However, as far as anyone could tell, the prosecution were winning!
Naturally, as neither Preston, Sydney, Nigel nor Nancy had testified, they were ordered to come back at 10.00 a.m. the following day when, hopefully, they'd be called to the stand and be able to contribute towards putting Ferreira and his gang away, for life!
To make things easier for everyone, Preston suggested that they all stay at the Bailey house that night and allow Nathan to take them to court in the comfort of the limousine the next day. Of course, they all thought that was a good idea, although Cate and Derek, having already given evidence, had been warned not to discuss their testimony with any other witnesses. Regardless of this the court couldn't prevent them from staying with their friends, even though the defence barrister was angered by it.
During dinner that evening, Cate and Derek assured the others that there was nothing to worry about and that they believed the entire gang would be behind bars in a matter of days! Of course, this was a wonderful thought and although the two agents couldn't elaborate on why they believed that, Nigel slept well that night, although Nancy did secretly give him a mild sedative; just to ensure that was the case!
Having risen early the following morning, Sydney immediately went in to see Nigel to give him a good morning kiss and to make sure he was alright, bearing in mind it was quite likely he'd be called to the stand that day. She could tell he was nervous but that didn't stop him giving her a 'deep slow kiss'! They talked for a little while about how wonderful it was going to be when the trial was over, as they'd, at last, be able to really start enjoying their lives as a couple.
"You know what Nige" Sydney said, as she watched him put on his dressing gown "you'll soon be able to return to Trinity….even if it's only part-time.…God I want you back with me so much!"
"I hope you're right Syd, because I want to be with you too!….I….I do feel a bit scared by the idea of relic hunting though…but…but I expect I'll get over it….I did before!" Nigel said, thinking about his first few hunts with Sydney.
"Sweetie you won't have to come relic hunting with me….not unless you want to….you can decide on a hunt by hunt basis whether or not you want to come…. but look, I'm never going to put you in danger again and as much as I want you with me, it'll always be your decision….not mine!" Sydney said, looking totally sincere.
"Thanks Syd….you know I….I wish you could stay with me and Nancy when I testify…but Steven says it's against the rules….apparently they'll make everyone leave the room… except for Nancy" Nigel said, putting on a brave face and heading for the bathroom.
"I'll be there is spirit Sweetie…just remember that" Sydney said, giving him a broad smile and wishing the court rules were different so that she could give him moral support. Nigel smiled back and closed the bathroom door.
Realising she'd better get a move on, as they'd talked for quite some time; she rushed back to her room, took a quick shower and then went downstairs for breakfast. Ten minutes later Nigel came down too, looking really smart in a very expensive looking black suit "morning everyone" he said, giving Sydney a wink and noticing she was wearing the beautiful white silk scarf he'd bought her for Christmas.
"Morning Podge" Preston said, looking at his brother's face "you look a bit brighter this morning…did you sleep well?"
"I did actually Pres….um…..did you put something in my coco Nancy?" Nigel asked, giving his therapist a suspicious look, but knowing the answer anyway.
"Yes Nigel I did….I couldn't risk you having a bad night when you'll almost certainly be called to the stand today….come on now….quickly get some breakfast inside you….Nathan, Cate and Derek have already had theirs and they're waiting in the car!" Nancy said, pulling out a chair for him.
"Yes mum" Nigel joked, with a cheeky grin on his face, causing Sydney and Preston to crack up with laughter "would you pass the scrambled eggs please Pres…..oh and just watch Nancy doesn't put anything in them!"
Nancy slapped him playfully on the back "Nigel!...Actually I'm really pleased you're so relaxed today….try and stay that way, then you'll do really well in court" Nancy said, handing him some toast.
As soon as he'd finished his breakfast, they quickly went outside and got into the limousine. It wasn't until then that it really hit him how important this day was! It had been 19 years since those monsters took him and very soon he was going to get closure and start a new life which he hoped he'd spend with Sydney!
Having arrived in court at 9.55 a.m. they'd only been there ten minutes when Preston was called to testify. He was, naturally, feeling quite apprehensive as he'd no idea what to truly expect as he'd never spoken in court before.
Regardless of how ridiculous it sounded, having considered matters overnight, the defence tried, once again, to make him; Sydney and Nigel look like the common criminals by stating that many villains became millionaires through the proceeds of crime! Of course the prosecution objected to such an accusation being directed at their clients, who were, obviously, completely innocent and could prove that their money was legitimately obtained!
Feeling quite angry, Preston wanted to defend Nigel, in particular, although that wasn't actually necessary, as everyone in court could see that, in fact, the defence barrister was simply clutching at straws to make him, Nigel and Sydney look at least a little bit shady!
When Preston was dismissed, Sydney was called next and was surprised to notice Preston's flushed face as he walked passed her to go to the waiting room. Having spoken to Derek the previous night, she'd been confident that all would be well as, although he didn't divulge his testimony, he'd said the defence barrister was an idiot!
However, within minutes of Sydney entering the courtroom, just like Preston, she was subjected to accusations of criminal activity! This was mostly directed at her relic hunting work which, of course, the prosecution, once again, strongly objected to. Having nothing else but that to use against her, the defence continued to try and discredit her by stating she'd no proof that she and Nigel returned all of the relics and artefacts they found to their rightful owners, or to museums!
Of course, that approach had been anticipated by the clever prosecution barrister and following several objections from him, he produced numerous statements that Cate had obtained from notable professors and museum directors, all of whom praised the relic hunters and stated how trustworthy they were.
Sydney went on to do particular well when the prosecution asked her to describe some photographs, as they were the snaps she'd taken herself.
"Well" she said, looking at the first set of pictures "that first one is some floor plans hung on the walls of the secret room…they turned out to be the layouts of homes belonging to wealthy people whose kids Ferreira kidnapped! The crosses marked on them show specific rooms and escape routes, which enabled the kidnappers to take the kids and get away quickly."
"Thank you Ms Fox….and what about these?" the prosecution barrister asked, noticing the courtroom grew a little noisy.
"Oh…. those are pictures of children and some teenagers who were actually kidnap victims! The police have found their families now…. but I believe none of the kids survived….apart from the little twins….my friends Nigel and Derek helped rescue them…they were imprisoned at the mansion the same time as Nigel" Sydney said, feeling quite upset as she thought about those youngsters that had been killed and how awful it must have been for their families.
"And this….what are we seeing here Ms Fox?" the barrister asked, obviously knowing the answer already.
"That's a close up picture of a cheque made payable to Colonel Carlos Rodriguez….he was a policeman…the cheque is signed by Niklas Ferreira" Sydney said, looking at the angry faces of the accused.
"Yes, Ms Fox is correct…..that photo was given in evidence at a Brazilian court and it helped to prove that Rodriguez, along with several other policeman, were taking bribes from Ferreira….the Colonel in prison now, as are several other police officers who turned a blind eye to what Ferreira and his men were doing!"
Of course, the defence barrister objected to that latest accusation, although as the officers had been sent to jail, the objection was overruled by the judge. It didn't seem to matter what Ferreira's barrister came up with to try and make his clients look innocent, the prosecution lawyer always had an answer for him and Sydney made him look like a blithering idiot by the time she'd finished being cross-examined!
Nigel was next to be called and Judge Smythe, who it turned out had been a last minute replacement for the original Judge, was not happy at all that an adult witness was hiding behind a screen!
The prosecution barrister immediately explained to him that Nigel was still having therapy, following his ordeal in Rio and would be very disturbed by being in such close proximity to the accused. Having considered this for a few minutes, Judge Smythe grudgingly agreed to permit Nigel to testify on camera, although he didn't look very convinced and reserved the right to change his mind!
Nancy, who'd been told, just as she arrived that morning with everyone else, that she'd not be required to give evidence, gave Nigel something to ease his stomach, as it was quite obvious that although he was very bright and cheerful earlier, his nerves were on edge again now, although he was still very determined to say what he had to.
Within minutes of the screen being turned on the prosecuting barrister asked Nigel questions about how he'd been kidnapped as a child. Nigel did his best to describe how it occurred in the supermarket car par, but then he realised what that was likely to lead to….and he was right. Immediately he'd finished describing how he was kidnapped, the barrister showed the court, once again, the photograph that Preston had taken of his brother, as a child. Nigel was taken aback by the clarity of the photo and there was absolutely no doubt in his mind who the people were in the background!
The prosecution barrister looked at the jury and then at the accused "I hope you can all see that the little boy in this photograph is none other than this young man here! I think it will be obvious to everyone now that Peter Bage and other members of Ferreira's gang really did follow him around waiting for the perfect opportunity to kidnap him."
All the defence could do was reiterate that the people in the photograph could be anybody and that, obviously, it had been doctored to make the subjects look like his clients!
Having responded to that by confirming that all photographs being shown by the prosecution had been authenticated, Nigel's barrister quickly moved things along.
Wanting to ensure everyone knew how horrifically Nigel had been treated by his childhood captors, the barrister then read out sections of his hospital notes, written while he was recovering from his ordeal, which then proved he'd been beaten, burnt and, horrendously raped!
Nigel quietly sobbed as more and more evidence was disclosed, including two photographs of his tiny body, taken by the police in the hospital after he'd escaped from the cottage. Obviously, Nigel realised that this kind of evidence existed although, naturally, he'd never been permitted to see it before.
Having finished reading the notes and showing the photographs; which caused quite a stir in the courtroom, the barrister spoke to Nigel again "young man…. can you tell the court precisely who it was that did such terrible things to you and why you've never explained what happened before?"
"I'd blocked it out of my mind for years…..but wh….when I found a file in the secret room with my name on it and I read what that brutes did to me…..it all fl…flooded back! It…it was Skin…..it was Peter Bage who violated me Sir…I remember it all now!" Nigel said, trying to keep his emotions under control as Nancy rubbed his back.
"OK I know this is hard for you Nigel but please….can you tell the court about the secret room?" the prosecution barrister asked, realising that although the defence barrister was still trying to deny its existence, there would be no doubt in the minds of everyone else if Nigel could also described it.
"It's in Ferreira's mansion in Rio….th...there were some large photographs of children on the walls and the floorplans of some houses…..I also remember seeing a lot of high tech camera equipment in there…..in the centre of the room there was a really big table, filled with all sorts of stuff that Sydney Fox took photos of and…and dozens of boxes containing files like mine!" Nigel said, starting to feel his anger grow "those monsters kidnapped and violated hundreds of children! I…I only saw the files of a few but….oh my God…..what I read was awful!"
Within seconds of those comments being made, the families of the missing children noisily leapt to their feet! Stunned by Nigel's comments, they suddenly realised that the files that were read out the previous day, in relation to the two violated young men, were not given to the barrister by the police, but were files kept by Ferreira's gang! They furiously yelled out "We want to see those files! We need to know what happened to our children! We have a right to know!"
The Judge pounded his gavel and ordered them to be quiet, which took a few minutes and then, realising they had a right to be angry, he asked the prosecution barrister to explain the apparent oversight.
Understanding too why they were so upset, the barrister explained that, although the files gave the names and partial addresses of the children, their countries of origin was not always mentioned. He went on to explain that, bearing in mind there were dozens of boxes of files removed by Interpol from Rio, as well as other houses throughout the world, it was going to take a little while longer for all of the victims to be identified.
This satisfied the judge who immediately looked at the distraught families "now…please try to keep your anger under control….as you've just heard, everything is being done to try and identify your children" he said, banging his gavel on his desk again.
Nigel felt really sorry for those people as they'd, obviously, been trying to come to terms with their losses for years. Of course, Nancy, being the observant therapist that she was, immediately saw how pained he was and instantly knew why "no Nigel, I know that look…..you're blaming yourself for blanking out those memories again! You mustn't….you can't change the past…the only way to help those people, and yourself, is to tell the court what you remember right now!" she said, realising she wasn't supposed to speak to him when he was testifying; although nobody actually stopped her!
Having heard what Nancy said, the prosecution barrister realised that, actually, that wasn't such a bad thing for the jury to see or hear, as it showed the young man in a good light. However, the trial had to continue as quickly as possible; even if Nigel was upset.
"Nigel….I know how difficult this is for you, but try to stick to the facts, even if they're distressing….I need you to tell the court about when you were kidnapped from the hospital in Rio" he said, noticing Nancy gently rubbing his back.
Nigel knew the barrister was right, but that didn't stop him feeling nauseous at the thought of discussing another horrible past event. However, as he looked at the families again his determination to have the gang, particularly Skinny Pete and Maria, incarcerated, grew stronger and he looked at the camera "I was dr…dragged out of my hospital bed and ta...taken to what I now know was Ferreira's bunker. Th…they'd somehow found out who I really was" Nigel said, taking a tissue from the box and wiping his eyes.
"Who did they think you were before Nigel?" the barrister asked, even though the other witnesses had actually explained this.
"When they first held me prisoner in Rio….I told them I…I was Ian Worthingham.…I couldn't tell them my real name in case they recognised it! Nigel said, with a pleading look on his face.
"Yes quite so….please continue" the barrister said, realising now that the jury would understand Nigel's little deception.
"In the b…bunker Peter Bage taunted me about how he…he…ra…raped me when I was only six years old!" Nigel said, as Nancy gently stroked his back and handed him another tissue "he's a sadistic monster! He threw darts at me and burnt my feet with cigarettes….just like he did when I was a child! He beat me sen…..senseless! I…I'm only alive today because I was unconscious for so long I'd not finished recording some messages."
"Messages?" the barrister asked, as that hadn't been mentioned in court before.
"Y…yes…. they were going to play a different message to my…my brother each day….af….after they'd k….killed me…so…so he'd think I was still alive and get the ransom money!" Nigel said as he wiped his eyes.
The courtroom went silent for a few seconds, as everyone was stunned by Nigel's revelations and then, just like before, they got noisy again…this time because they felt sorry for him!
"Silence in court!" Judge Smythe shouted, banging his gavel on his desk. They soon quietened down and the prosecution barrister began to show graphic photographs of Nigel from just after Interpol raided the mansion. The people in the courtroom were clearly horrified by the young man's injuries, although Peter Bage showed no feelings at all.
Having finished with those, the barrister displayed pictures taken at the hospital immediately after Nigel was rescued from the bunker. The people in the courtroom held their breath as photo after photo was shown; some so awful it made them turn away.
Obviously, wanting to ensure there was no doubt in the minds of the jury that the accused had been inflicting pain and suffering like that for years, he then revealed, in quick succession, a further dozen or so, previously unseen police photos taken just after Nigel's horrific ordeal as a child!
The reality of what may have happened to some of their children then hit the parents harder than ever and caused one lady to faint, while others openly cried.
It was then the turn of the defence to ask questions; however, as Nigel and the families of the victims were clearly terribly distressed, the Judge asked Nigel if he wanted a short break to compose himself.
Realising that would just prolong matters and that right now the jury were completely on his side, he thought it best to continue and thanked the Judge for the offer.
Having waited a few minutes for the court to calm down, the defence barrister began to read Nigel's statement and asked him several questions relating to his honesty; just as he'd done with Preston and Sydney. The prosecuting barrister objected strongly, advising he'd already provided multiple statements confirming Nigel's trustworthiness.
The defence immediately withdrew, realising that, the young man, who looked so unhappy, could say some very damaging things about their clients if they pushed the prosecution too far on that.
Having gone through question after question, including just how good his memory really was about what had happened, why he thought that entering private property was acceptable behaviour and why he shouldn't be prosecuted for hitting Manuel over the head and shooting Niklas Ferreira; Nigel was able to give very clear and honest responses, which satisfied the judge, although infuriated the defence!
Although, by now, there was no doubt that that Ferreira, Skinny Pete and Maria would be found guilty, the prosecution, bearing in mind what those brutes had done to Nigel, the twins and hundreds of others, wanted to ensure that all of them got the maximum sentence. In this regard, as Maria was a woman, they felt she might get off rather lightly if, for example, Nigel's on-going psychological problems, caused mainly by her, were not brought to the attention of the court. Therefore, the prosecution barrister, having first announced to the courtroom that Skinny Pete had viciously spat at Nigel the previous day, causing him to have a panic attack, indicated to the cameraman, with a nod, to point the camera directly at Maria! Nigel jolted backwards away from the screen as soon as he saw her face and put his hand on his chest. His face turned very pale and within seconds he began to sweat profusely and hyperventilate!
Nancy was livid as she saw Maria looking defiantly at the camera as, of course, previously to that she'd been doing a great job of keeping Nigel calm and focused while he testified.
Having instantly handed Nigel a brown paper bag to breath into, Nancy turned angrily to the screen "you stupid idiot!" she shouted at Nigel's barrister, realising now that the only reason she wasn't required to give evidence was because he'd chosen to use this dangerous method of proving that Maria, after quite a long time, still totally freaks him out!
The Judge too was furious with the barrister for resorting to theatrics and ordered the camera to be turned off until Nigel was feeling ready to continue.
After apologising to the Judge the barrister explained that he believed it was necessary to show that Nigel had long term mental issues, caused in particular, by Maria and that any male victims who'd escaped her clutches would, no doubt, be traumatised the same way.
As soon as Nigel had recovered enough to be able to testify again, the trial resumed, although he was still on edge realising he'd soon be asked exactly what, Ferreira, Manuel and Maria had done to him, which couldn't be seen in the photos! Naturally, for someone like Nigel, It was bad enough speaking about being raped as a child, when everyone sympathised with him, but speaking of being sexually assaulted, at his age, by both a man and a woman, was horrendous! He was absolutely dreading it, realising he'd have to go into detail about those embarrassing and disgusting things. However, the thought of just having seen Maria again caused adrenaline to rush through his body, giving him the strength to speak out.
Everyone in court listened with baited breath as Nigel described how he'd been starved and kept naked all of the time, was pushed under the bath water, had his life threatened many times and, worst of all, was sexually abused by Maria and Manuel!
Of course, the courtroom erupted once more after Nigel had finished, but this time the judge allowed them a few minutes to vent their anger at Maria; silencing them only when the trial simply had to continue.
Nigel surprised himself that he'd been able to tell all the facts without completely breaking down, but when he was dismissed the relief he felt was just too much and he sobbed on Nancy's shoulder.
"You did brilliantly Nigel….just brilliantly" she said, holding him tightly.
"I…I…did…Nancy…I did!" he said, blinking back his tears and trying to smile.
Within a few minutes of Nigel being dismissed, Timmy and Charlie were called to give evidence via a camera link, in Brazil. The prosecuting barrister felt they should testify immediately after Nigel, believing that everything they said would have an even bigger impact on the jury, having just heard Nigel's testimony.
As soon as the screen was turned on everyone listened as the adorable little boys explained how they'd been kidnapped, stripped naked and locked in a cell. They took it in turns to answer the questions and did really well, although Charlie was a little bit timid.
The prosecuting barrister was delighted with their responses and tried to be as gentle as possible to ensure the little boys were not frightened in any way by him and because he didn't want to anger the Judge again by being insensitive!
Smiling at the twins, he asked what had happened in the cell and how they managed to get free, hoping they'd be able to describe everything clearly.
Explaining as best they could, nobody was surprised to hear they'd been smacked and pushed around, but everyone was amazed when it became obvious they'd not been sexually assaulted.
Of course, already knowing the facts, the prosecution barrister asked them to describe exactly what happened immediately before they escaped from their cell inside the mansion. Naturally, as they were so young, when they explained that Manuel had frightened them and undid the zip of his trousers, they'd no idea that what they were actually describing was an attempted rape!
The entire courtroom went crazy hearing that, which rather confused the boys. However, after being given some juice and a cuddle from their parents, they began to explain that while Manuel was playing with his trousers, Nigel hit him over the head and helped them get out of the basement.
Looking so sweet, they continued by describing how they'd hid in the secret room with Nigel and how they finally met up with Derek in the garden, who handed them to a man on the other side of the wall.
Everything that the little boys said proved that what everyone else had testified to earlier was true, as they were far too young to be able to lie in such amazing detail about those events.
The defence barrister, realising that the twins were so believable, decided not to cross-examine them, fearing they'd incriminate their despicable clients even further!
When the twins were dismissed, there were still more witnesses to be called from the families of children who'd already been identified by using the gang's files. This meant that the trial didn't finish for another two days. However, everyone continued to stay at the Baileys' during that time, waiting to be called to hear the verdict.
Sydney did everything in her power to keep Nigel distracted, including teaching him tai chi, making him play some romantic music on the piano and by dragging him off into the garden to talk about their future together. Of course, Nigel responded well to anything she asked of him, making Preston realise, they were simply made for each other.
On the day the jury gave their verdict Nigel and his family and friends were all permitted to watch what happened from the privacy of the back room. It took less than twenty minutes for the jury to decide that Ferreira, Maria and Peter Bage were guilty of all charges. They were each given three life sentences, with no chance for parole, ensuring they'd never come in contact with children or members of the public again.
What's more, in many countries throughout the world, including Germany, France, Spain, China and Russia, dozens of Ferreira's international gang had also been arrested. The majority of them, by the time the London trial had finished, had already been given long prison sentences and a few were actually executed in countries where that form of punishment was still practiced!
Now I can finish this story here, or I can continue and explain what happens between Sydney and Nigel after the trial.
As I find it very time consuming and sometimes very difficult to write, I have decided that unless I hear from more readers (there are only about 20/25 of you) that you are actually enjoying the story and want me to continue this will be the last chapter.
Thank you Beatrix for your wonderful reviews - and Alex and Joy too. I also want to thank:-
ivoryrose75 – BabygirlandFin - Wulversmeadow - Space-Case7029 - Abducted By Eon Of Chronia and anyone else who has reviewed in the past.
Steamboat xx