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Jury Bailiff They are all in attendance, Mr Usher.
Usher Then will you please accompany the jury to the courtroom?
Jury Bailiff (bows, and the Usher returns the bow. Jury Bailiff turns back to face the audience) Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, please follow me.
Kersley and Ashton walk through the jury door towards the courtroom in a corridor of light.
Ashton Do you think in the twenty-first century anyone gives a damn which school you went to?
Kersley Mr Justice Cartwright doesn’t belong in the twenty-first century - as you’re about to find out - which may even work to our advantage.
Ashton What do you mean?
Kersley Simply that if the jury considers the judge is favouring one side, they quite often react against it.
Ashton I can’t believe he’ll make it that obvious.
Kersley Then I’ll have to make sure he does.
Barrington and Jarvis follow in the corridor of light.
Barrington Andrew, have you had a chance to speak to our client this morning?
Jarvis Yes, when I left him he was pacing up and down his cell and feeling rather sorry for himself. (Pauses.) I have to admit I rather like him.
Barrington After thirty years in this game Andrew, I can tell you that murderers are a far nicer class of person - it’s the barristers you have to watch out for.
Jarvis (laughs) Are you referring to Mr Kersley, by any chance?
Barrington I never refer to Kersley if I can avoid it. However, don’t lower your guard even for a moment, because when it comes to punching, no one has explained to Kersley where the belt is.
As Barrington enters the courtroom, the two QCs come face to face for the first time. They give each other a cursory nod. A few moments later there is a triple knock on the outside of the door.
Usher Be upstanding in the court. All persons having anything to do before my Lords, the Queen’s Justices, oyer and terminer, and general gaol delivery for the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, draw near and give your attendance. God save the Queen.
Mr Justice Cartwright enters and takes his place in the centre of the bench. All bow. The Judge returns their bow.
Usher Bring up the prisoner.
Sherwood steps into the dock, and the Jury Bailiff walks across to stand in front of him.
Jury Bailiff Is your name Patrick Hugh Sherwood?
Sherwood Yes.
Jury Bailiff Patrick Sherwood, you stand charged with murder. The particulars of the offence are that, on the twenty-first of March 1999 in the county of London, you administered a fatal dose of poison to your wife, Elizabeth Sherwood. How say you - Guilty or Not Guilty?
Sherwood Not guilty.
Jury Bailiff (walks to the front of the stage, faces the audience and bows) Members of the Jury, the defendant stands before you charged with one count - that of murder. To this count he has pleaded Not Guilty. By his plea he has cast himself upon his country, which country ye are. Your charge, therefore, is to hearken unto the evidence and say whether he be guilty or no. (He turns his attention away from the audience and returns to his place.)
Judge Members of the Jury, you have sworn to try this case on the evidence. You must therefore give heed only to what takes place in this court and ignore anything you have read in the press. Mr Kersley, you may proceed with the prosecution.
Kersley May it please Your Lordship, Members of the Jury. The murder of Elizabeth Sherwood was a crime planned by a man with a brilliant and subtle mind, who set out to dupe his colleagues, so that when his wife died, no one would suspect him of being involved in such an evil enterprise.
But unfortunately for him, even the cleverest of murderers make mistakes which, like pieces in a jigsaw, end up revealing the true picture.
The Crown will produce five pieces of that jigsaw, which will show the lengths to which Mr Sherwood was willing to go in order to cover his tracks. Once those five pieces are in. place, I believe you will come to one conclusion: that Mr Patrick Sherwood is guilty of murder.
