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“Be assured, m’lud,” said Booth Watson, clearly unmoved, “that will soon become crystal clear.”
“I hope so, Mr. Booth Watson,” interjected the referee, “as I have some sympathy with Sir Julian’s view. Would you kindly come to the point?”
“I shall do everything in my power to oblige, Your Lordship.” Booth Watson turned his focus back on Lamont, who still hadn’t replied. “Do you need to be reminded of the question, superintendent?”
“No, I do not.”
“Then I await your answer with interest.”
“Yes, I would describe Detective Superintendent Meadows as a consummate professional, and I was proud to be a member of his team.”
“A consummate professional? May I ask what rank you held when you were so proud to be a member of his team?”
“I was a detective sergeant in the murder squad, carrying out an investigation into the death of a notorious East End crime boss.”
“Did that case come to court?”
Lamont nodded.
“Once again, superintendent, the court will need to know for the record if that was a yes.”
“Yes,” replied Lamont curtly.
“And what verdict did the jury come to on that occasion?”
“Not guilty,” said Lamont.
“And can you recall, superintendent, the vital piece of evidence that caused the jury to reach that verdict?”
Booth Watson continued to stare at the witness.
“If you can’t, I’d be happy to jog your memory.” He waited for some time before saying, “Defense counsel, in that case, was able to prove that a gun had been planted on the suspect. Perhaps you could tell the court who planted that weapon on an innocent victim, superintendent?”
“Detective Superintendent Jeremy Meadows,” said Lamont in a voice that did not reach the back of the court.
“And what became of Detective Superintendent Meadows following that incident?”
“He resigned from the force and was later sent to prison.”
“Where is all this leading, Mr. Booth Watson?” asked the judge, as Sir Julian rose to his feet.
“I suspect we’re about to find out, m’lud,” said Booth Watson, ignoring Sir Julian.
“And as you have told us, superintendent, you were one of the officers serving on that case.”
“I had that honor.”
“Honor? But this was a case in which a senior police officer planted a gun on an innocent man in order to dishonestly secure a conviction.”
“And less than a month after that man was found not guilty, he murdered another innocent victim.”
“So you approved of your boss’s action?” said Booth Watson.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t need to. Tell me, superintendent, are you an advocate of ‘noble cause corruption’?” Booth Watson waited for a response, but none was forthcoming. “Perhaps the time has come for you to satisfy the court’s curiosity as to the role you played on that occasion. Following the conviction of your boss, the honorable Detective Superintendent Meadows, a tribunal was set up to investigate whether anyone else on the team was implicated in the crime. Under oath you admitted that as an impressionable young detective sergeant, it was possible you might have turned a blind eye. Could you tell the court what the tribunal decided was the appropriate punishment in your case?”
“I was demoted from detective sergeant to constable, and spent two years back on the beat, before I was reinstated to my former rank.”
