Court Out - By Elle Wynne Page 0,20
and expensive if we’re not regularly in court. I hope if she has a problem she knows that she can talk to me about it. With the impending wedding I can’t imagine the pressure on her and Ewan to meet all of their financial obligations. I’ve offered to pay for the taffeta monstrosity and coordinating accessories but she’s adamant that she’ll foot the bill. I’d like to say my intentions were fully noble, but if I paid for it, then I could make a few alterations here and there...
I stand up and stretch my legs, noticing that during the course of the day I’ve managed to spill orange juice on my white sweater. This is particularly traumatic as I never get round to doing a white wash; inevitably all of my pale goods get shoved to the bottom of the laundry basket and ignored until my mother comes around to visit, then starts to clean under the pretext of searching for something she’s claimed to have left during her last stopover.
My mum, like Sebastian cannot abide any mess so struggles to sit still in my house. I’ve contemplated getting a cleaner but can’t deal with the thought of a stranger in my home; I guess I’ve prosecuted too many thieves to trust someone with free run with my possessions. Not that my belongings are worth a fortune mind you, it’s just the little things I’d miss if they were ever taken: an antique charm bracelet from my aunt, various birthday and anniversary presents from Sebastian over the years, my handbag and shoe collection.
God, if I were left unsupervised in someone’s home I’d be so tempted to have a rummage. Not to steal things of course, but just to have a look, although knowing my luck I’d probably break something in the process. I can see the headlines now: ‘Top Barrister in Attempted Burglary Scandal!’ Just for the record, I don’t consider myself to be a ‘Top Barrister’ but every time a member of the legal system is cited negatively in the press it is always ‘Top Judge’ or ‘Top Solicitor’ just to give it that bit of an edge so the public can feel that little bit more outraged.
I pour another glass of orange juice and pinch a packet of Sebastian’s Quavers from our overworked snack cupboard. As I rip open the foil packet and inhale the cheesy goodness within, I wait for any signs of intervention from upstairs. Happily, there appears to be none.
I take my seat and turn my attention back to my case for tomorrow. A lady called Ms Goodridge has been accused of claiming her benefits without telling the authorities she is living with a man in a relationship comparable to that of husband and wife. As I read through the papers I notice that the man in question, Mr. Lukes, had been staying at the same address as the Defendant and had been spotted routinely leaving the property holding hands with Ms Goodridge and kissing her goodbye at the end of the school run by various vigilant neighbours.
If true, this is strictly verboten, as Ms Goodridge has completed her most recent benefit claim form stating that she’s a single lady living on her own. There is no proof of evidence within my brief; no explanation taken by my instructing solicitor from Ms Goodridge as to her side of the story. I munch on another crisp, deep in thought. Ms Goodridge exercised her right to go ‘no comment’ during the course of her interview with the Department, so I have no idea what her defence to this is.
Oh well, I think, more of a surprise for me when I meet her tomorrow morning at court. Her matter is listed for a plea and case management hearing so she’ll have to decide whether she wants to have a trial at a later date or plead guilty and be sentenced for the offence. I have to say, at the moment, in the absence of some amazing explanation, I’m struggling to see how she’s going to convince a jury that there can be some doubt in respect of the case against her.
Another matter I have in tomorrow is a return of Serena’s. Serena represented a man called Mr. Lenihan at his trial for a particularly nasty assault on his son with a baseball bat. From the written endorsement on the front of the brief I can see that at the eleventh hour, Mr. Lenihan changed his plea to guilty