Part Ten
Jo had travelled through her ritual journey that preceded every court case that she had ever conducted, the sort of keyed up anticipation that sharpened and focussed her thinking without sliding into that pit of fear that could envelop any barrister. She knew of no barrister who was as totally calm and controlled as he or she appeared to be. That was all part of the act. So focussed was she that the final slur on Yvonne that angered the gallery was passed by her unnoticed at the time. She shuffled through her papers while Neuman Mason-Alan spoke, pulling in like lightning, the key phrases which indicated his line of attack. Going in second did have that advantage.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am asking that you consider two vital and very separate questions, how James Fenner came to meet his end, and more importantly, why. If you hear the forensic evidence that will be placed before you as well as witness evidence, you may well conclude that the defendant, Lauren Atkins, took the life of James Fenner on the fifth of October 2003. The defendant has never denied the substance of the charge put to her. That is not, however, the end of the matter if you should so conclude. My first witness will be the defendant herself, Lauren Atkins, who will relate what she knew of the circumstances of the death of James Fenner. I intend to demonstrate from her testimony of the very powerful and dangerous personality of her father, Charlie Atkins, who was suddenly and brutally murdered two years ago. You will hear evidence that the taking of James Fenner's life was predated by two very traumatic events in the life of Lauren Atkins, one was the trial and conviction of her brother Ritchie Atkins whose crime included the betrayal of the tight knit family which Lauren Atkins was born into, a matter about which she felt very deeply. The other, only a matter of hours after sentencing, was her brother's tragic suicide and her receipt of the last communications that she would ever receive from him. This was a letter from him, begging her to take the life of the deceased, which I shall produce in evidence. My second and expert witness as to the state of the defendant's mental health is the consultant psychiatrist Dr. Margaret Richards, whose report is submitted in evidence. I shall attempt to demonstrate that there is clear clinical evidence that up to and including the time of the tragic events in question, the defendant was "not in her right mind." My third witness, her mother and only surviving close relative, Yvonne Atkins, will give evidence of the tragic events, including corroberation of what I have outlined and establishing a cogent connection between the defendant and James Fenner. A close friend of the defendant, Cassie Tyler, witnessed and will give evidence as to the defendant's state of mind immediately after Ritchie Atkins's death. The last witness I will call upon is Daniella Blood, her cellmate in the prison where the defendant has been held on remand this last year. She will give evidence of Lauren Atkins's deep and profound feelings of remorse as to the terrible consequences of her actions.
After hearing all the evidence, you will be able to conclude as to whether or not Lauren Atkins did, indeed, take the life of one James Fenner but, if so, you will also have a clear picture of the state of Lauren Atkins' mind in those critical weeks and that a plea of diminished responsibility will be the fit and proper construction of the events."
Jo sat down with a feeling of relief that her opening presentation had delicately weaved its way through the tangled clutter of events and gave notice to Neumann Mason-Alan and hopefully the jury that the matter was not as clear cut as he made out.
In the gallery, the women on the front row went through a whole spectrum of emotions. George was clearly given first prize in the "Badgirls of the Old Bailey" gallery of infamy which related to spectators rather than the accused but John's searching eye had been trained like a spotlight on the rest of the women and was a warning that could not be overlooked. None of them had any great desire to see the inside of a barred cell. That feeling was minor when Neumann Mason-Alan's ponderous voice indicted Lauren in terms which brought a sinking feeling to their stomachs and his parting touch in indicting her upbringing roused them to protective anger on Yvonne's behalf.
In contrast, Jo's ice calm perfectly controlled performance rolled back the suffocating layer of that sneaking feeling of guilt. All of them were doing their best to fight that feeling down and be positive. After the masterly way that Jo opened the case, hope struggled through into their light.
"Not bad, Jo," George said in that considered fashion that one professional feels to a nicety the texture of the counter arguments used by another. "I couldn't have put it better myself." "Coming for a drink with us, George?" Karen asked.
Her idea slotted in naturally to the others from their previous experience of the Atkins/Merriman trial. They could not help being conscious that, previously, Lauren had been with them in the gallery but this time, she was held in captivity. To Karen and Yvonne, the other change was that last time this overbearing female defence barrister had been the scourge of the witnesses but she had gone and George who looked a lot like her was there in her place but they were both highly aware that others might not feel the same way. "Going somewhere for a drink and a smoke. Sounds like heaven to me." George's Heartfelt words made them all smile.
"I thoroughly approve of a smoking ban in public buildings. I had a real problem in Larkhall with constantly inhaling nicotine by passive smoking from the rest of you. Going for a drink sounds fine, though," Babs added more mildly. "Do you know, Barbara, you sound exactly like John. John Deed, the judge," George explained as an aside. "He's my ex-husband and such an infuriating non smoker." It was George's unique accentuated drawl lightened by her playfulness rather than darkened by sarcasm, which made all the others laugh along with her and showed her how far she had come. This started to break the ice. Up till then, they had seemed like a random collection of people thrown together in a crowded scene, some of whom knew each other and Babs, especially, who was wary of this woman who she had last seen in verbal attack mode when she was on the witness stand and George was batting for the other side.
"Which pub are we going to? I've not been round here for years," Nikki enquired after Cassie and Yvonne had joined them downstairs and they had clattered outside only for a piercing cold blast of winter air to cut its way through their clothes.
"The one we went to, left round the corner. It's the nearest and it's freezing." "I know the pub and it's changed hands," George chimed in. "It's a frightful place now. I wouldn't even sentence Neumann Mason-Alan to a lunchtime drink there, standing room only and you can't hear yourself think. I know a nice place, if we turn right instead of left." George found herself at the head of the crowd without needing to elbow her way to the front and fight for dominance, the other women formed in behind her. She felt she could relax and let life flow. Nearer to the pub, Karen's longer stride drew her level with George and Nikki who was chatting away to Yvonne nine to the dozen couldn't help noticing how good Karen and George looked together.
"Haven't we been here before?" Yvonne asked as memories stirred within her and she trod in the footsteps of where she had been that time with Karen. The other woman's tremulous smile reminded them of the flowering of their love.
Once the room had opened out for them to fill, the first move was to sort out what everyone was drinking. George's instinct while she smiled and chatted was a need to know where the others fitted in with each other so that she could position herself rightly in the constellation, She was always good at social occasions but the rules of etiquette rigidly buttressed her in. Here she had to invent new rules and to fit in.
"Could someone explain where you've known each other from as I feel a bit like the new girl at school," George stammered in her naked honesty.
Nikki's heart warmed to this normally sophisticated woman who was clearly feeling her way, as if learning a foreign language, but trying so hard.
"I'll do the guided tour, George. You'll know Karen and Yvonne. I'm Nikki and Yvonne and me were both at Larkhall. Babs here shared a cell with me and put up with my smoking." Nikki's even white teeth showed in her wide smile smoothing out George's suddenly recalled memory of this personification of middle England. "Cassie and Roisin are a couple and have two children. They were at Larkhall after my time but I got to know them through the club I run with my ex." It came naturally to a socialite like George to clip together names, faces and potted biographies to then make polite conversation. She felt that she ought to have been thrown out of joint by the interesting cross section of strong women, only Karen of whom had not done time. She picked up on Nikki's trailing off lack of enthusiasm for her current situation.
"My ex, a loathsome Cabinet Minister called Neil Houghton, pushed me into defending Ritchie Atkins and Snowball Merriman, not for any good reasons. It was the worst mistake of my life. When I became a free woman, I was working with Jo Mills to put Fenner behind bars, the one man who deserved to be there." George felt intensely the way that the polite formality melted into the warmth and positive glow of welcoming approval. "I'm no hero, George. I work opposite shifts to Trish so we hardly meet, just enough to meet occasionally to sort out business and try to be polite with each other. If you've investigated Fenner, you must have come across my present partner, Helen Wade, better known to you as Helen Stewart. Helen, a lot of good friends and a degree is what I got out of Larkhall. I want to do something better with my life than the club but I'm not sure what." George was utterly bowled over by the strength and sensitivity of the feelings which flowed so naturally out of Nikki making the confidence she used to display seem brittle in comparison. The understated intensity expressed what was most precious in this world that no amount of money could ever buy, and made her feel inexpressibly humble and that there was no other place in the world that she would rather be at this moment while time hung suspended. "Hey, babe. I remember you getting banged up last time by the judge for contempt," Cassie said with a grin. "You're as bad as the rest of us." George smiled foolishly at Cassie's greeting changing her mood from the sublime to the attractively outrageous. It must have been years since she had been called 'babe' but she wasn't complaining.
"The only way I could purge my third removal for contempt was the not exactly marvellous tour of Larkhall with Karen acting as parole officer. It wasn't the nicest day of my life." George shuddered at the memory as her tongue ran loose in the spontaneity of the moment. A split second later, she blushed at the enormity of the situation and Karen rolled her eyes at the way that George's words ran away with her.
"I remember how firm the judge can be. As you are his ex wife, I can understand that this made any arguments more complicated than it would be for the rest of us. I remember how unpleasant it was with the son of my second husband who accused me of being a gold digger and I hit him on the side of his face with a jolly good back-hander." Babs came to the rescue to George's inexpressible relief and utter open mouthed astonishment at the story. Life at Larkhall had taught them hard lessons that there was worse in life than the unintentional gaffe when that person's intentions were good. It was lucky with so many good people around that George did not need to speak.
"At least you didn't ever have to call Karen Miss," Put in Yvonne, going even further to make George feel part of the group, something she hadn't felt in far too long.
Jo had travelled through her ritual journey that preceded every court case that she had ever conducted, the sort of keyed up anticipation that sharpened and focussed her thinking without sliding into that pit of fear that could envelop any barrister. She knew of no barrister who was as totally calm and controlled as he or she appeared to be. That was all part of the act. So focussed was she that the final slur on Yvonne that angered the gallery was passed by her unnoticed at the time. She shuffled through her papers while Neuman Mason-Alan spoke, pulling in like lightning, the key phrases which indicated his line of attack. Going in second did have that advantage.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am asking that you consider two vital and very separate questions, how James Fenner came to meet his end, and more importantly, why. If you hear the forensic evidence that will be placed before you as well as witness evidence, you may well conclude that the defendant, Lauren Atkins, took the life of James Fenner on the fifth of October 2003. The defendant has never denied the substance of the charge put to her. That is not, however, the end of the matter if you should so conclude. My first witness will be the defendant herself, Lauren Atkins, who will relate what she knew of the circumstances of the death of James Fenner. I intend to demonstrate from her testimony of the very powerful and dangerous personality of her father, Charlie Atkins, who was suddenly and brutally murdered two years ago. You will hear evidence that the taking of James Fenner's life was predated by two very traumatic events in the life of Lauren Atkins, one was the trial and conviction of her brother Ritchie Atkins whose crime included the betrayal of the tight knit family which Lauren Atkins was born into, a matter about which she felt very deeply. The other, only a matter of hours after sentencing, was her brother's tragic suicide and her receipt of the last communications that she would ever receive from him. This was a letter from him, begging her to take the life of the deceased, which I shall produce in evidence. My second and expert witness as to the state of the defendant's mental health is the consultant psychiatrist Dr. Margaret Richards, whose report is submitted in evidence. I shall attempt to demonstrate that there is clear clinical evidence that up to and including the time of the tragic events in question, the defendant was "not in her right mind." My third witness, her mother and only surviving close relative, Yvonne Atkins, will give evidence of the tragic events, including corroberation of what I have outlined and establishing a cogent connection between the defendant and James Fenner. A close friend of the defendant, Cassie Tyler, witnessed and will give evidence as to the defendant's state of mind immediately after Ritchie Atkins's death. The last witness I will call upon is Daniella Blood, her cellmate in the prison where the defendant has been held on remand this last year. She will give evidence of Lauren Atkins's deep and profound feelings of remorse as to the terrible consequences of her actions.
After hearing all the evidence, you will be able to conclude as to whether or not Lauren Atkins did, indeed, take the life of one James Fenner but, if so, you will also have a clear picture of the state of Lauren Atkins' mind in those critical weeks and that a plea of diminished responsibility will be the fit and proper construction of the events."
Jo sat down with a feeling of relief that her opening presentation had delicately weaved its way through the tangled clutter of events and gave notice to Neumann Mason-Alan and hopefully the jury that the matter was not as clear cut as he made out.
In the gallery, the women on the front row went through a whole spectrum of emotions. George was clearly given first prize in the "Badgirls of the Old Bailey" gallery of infamy which related to spectators rather than the accused but John's searching eye had been trained like a spotlight on the rest of the women and was a warning that could not be overlooked. None of them had any great desire to see the inside of a barred cell. That feeling was minor when Neumann Mason-Alan's ponderous voice indicted Lauren in terms which brought a sinking feeling to their stomachs and his parting touch in indicting her upbringing roused them to protective anger on Yvonne's behalf.
In contrast, Jo's ice calm perfectly controlled performance rolled back the suffocating layer of that sneaking feeling of guilt. All of them were doing their best to fight that feeling down and be positive. After the masterly way that Jo opened the case, hope struggled through into their light.
"Not bad, Jo," George said in that considered fashion that one professional feels to a nicety the texture of the counter arguments used by another. "I couldn't have put it better myself." "Coming for a drink with us, George?" Karen asked.
Her idea slotted in naturally to the others from their previous experience of the Atkins/Merriman trial. They could not help being conscious that, previously, Lauren had been with them in the gallery but this time, she was held in captivity. To Karen and Yvonne, the other change was that last time this overbearing female defence barrister had been the scourge of the witnesses but she had gone and George who looked a lot like her was there in her place but they were both highly aware that others might not feel the same way. "Going somewhere for a drink and a smoke. Sounds like heaven to me." George's Heartfelt words made them all smile.
"I thoroughly approve of a smoking ban in public buildings. I had a real problem in Larkhall with constantly inhaling nicotine by passive smoking from the rest of you. Going for a drink sounds fine, though," Babs added more mildly. "Do you know, Barbara, you sound exactly like John. John Deed, the judge," George explained as an aside. "He's my ex-husband and such an infuriating non smoker." It was George's unique accentuated drawl lightened by her playfulness rather than darkened by sarcasm, which made all the others laugh along with her and showed her how far she had come. This started to break the ice. Up till then, they had seemed like a random collection of people thrown together in a crowded scene, some of whom knew each other and Babs, especially, who was wary of this woman who she had last seen in verbal attack mode when she was on the witness stand and George was batting for the other side.
"Which pub are we going to? I've not been round here for years," Nikki enquired after Cassie and Yvonne had joined them downstairs and they had clattered outside only for a piercing cold blast of winter air to cut its way through their clothes.
"The one we went to, left round the corner. It's the nearest and it's freezing." "I know the pub and it's changed hands," George chimed in. "It's a frightful place now. I wouldn't even sentence Neumann Mason-Alan to a lunchtime drink there, standing room only and you can't hear yourself think. I know a nice place, if we turn right instead of left." George found herself at the head of the crowd without needing to elbow her way to the front and fight for dominance, the other women formed in behind her. She felt she could relax and let life flow. Nearer to the pub, Karen's longer stride drew her level with George and Nikki who was chatting away to Yvonne nine to the dozen couldn't help noticing how good Karen and George looked together.
"Haven't we been here before?" Yvonne asked as memories stirred within her and she trod in the footsteps of where she had been that time with Karen. The other woman's tremulous smile reminded them of the flowering of their love.
Once the room had opened out for them to fill, the first move was to sort out what everyone was drinking. George's instinct while she smiled and chatted was a need to know where the others fitted in with each other so that she could position herself rightly in the constellation, She was always good at social occasions but the rules of etiquette rigidly buttressed her in. Here she had to invent new rules and to fit in.
"Could someone explain where you've known each other from as I feel a bit like the new girl at school," George stammered in her naked honesty.
Nikki's heart warmed to this normally sophisticated woman who was clearly feeling her way, as if learning a foreign language, but trying so hard.
"I'll do the guided tour, George. You'll know Karen and Yvonne. I'm Nikki and Yvonne and me were both at Larkhall. Babs here shared a cell with me and put up with my smoking." Nikki's even white teeth showed in her wide smile smoothing out George's suddenly recalled memory of this personification of middle England. "Cassie and Roisin are a couple and have two children. They were at Larkhall after my time but I got to know them through the club I run with my ex." It came naturally to a socialite like George to clip together names, faces and potted biographies to then make polite conversation. She felt that she ought to have been thrown out of joint by the interesting cross section of strong women, only Karen of whom had not done time. She picked up on Nikki's trailing off lack of enthusiasm for her current situation.
"My ex, a loathsome Cabinet Minister called Neil Houghton, pushed me into defending Ritchie Atkins and Snowball Merriman, not for any good reasons. It was the worst mistake of my life. When I became a free woman, I was working with Jo Mills to put Fenner behind bars, the one man who deserved to be there." George felt intensely the way that the polite formality melted into the warmth and positive glow of welcoming approval. "I'm no hero, George. I work opposite shifts to Trish so we hardly meet, just enough to meet occasionally to sort out business and try to be polite with each other. If you've investigated Fenner, you must have come across my present partner, Helen Wade, better known to you as Helen Stewart. Helen, a lot of good friends and a degree is what I got out of Larkhall. I want to do something better with my life than the club but I'm not sure what." George was utterly bowled over by the strength and sensitivity of the feelings which flowed so naturally out of Nikki making the confidence she used to display seem brittle in comparison. The understated intensity expressed what was most precious in this world that no amount of money could ever buy, and made her feel inexpressibly humble and that there was no other place in the world that she would rather be at this moment while time hung suspended. "Hey, babe. I remember you getting banged up last time by the judge for contempt," Cassie said with a grin. "You're as bad as the rest of us." George smiled foolishly at Cassie's greeting changing her mood from the sublime to the attractively outrageous. It must have been years since she had been called 'babe' but she wasn't complaining.
"The only way I could purge my third removal for contempt was the not exactly marvellous tour of Larkhall with Karen acting as parole officer. It wasn't the nicest day of my life." George shuddered at the memory as her tongue ran loose in the spontaneity of the moment. A split second later, she blushed at the enormity of the situation and Karen rolled her eyes at the way that George's words ran away with her.
"I remember how firm the judge can be. As you are his ex wife, I can understand that this made any arguments more complicated than it would be for the rest of us. I remember how unpleasant it was with the son of my second husband who accused me of being a gold digger and I hit him on the side of his face with a jolly good back-hander." Babs came to the rescue to George's inexpressible relief and utter open mouthed astonishment at the story. Life at Larkhall had taught them hard lessons that there was worse in life than the unintentional gaffe when that person's intentions were good. It was lucky with so many good people around that George did not need to speak.
"At least you didn't ever have to call Karen Miss," Put in Yvonne, going even further to make George feel part of the group, something she hadn't felt in far too long.