proud, she exuded confidence. In a team of one, Ruth Markham gave the impression of being more than able to cope alone. Decency and the Mission Church of God were jointly represented by a pugnacious rising star of the criminal bar, Christopher Sullivan. Good-looking in a slightly rough-hewn way, and supported by Ed Prince and two further junior solicitors armed with laptops and imposing piles of textbooks, Jenny recognized Sullivan from a recent article in the Law Society Gazette. Tipped to become the youngest Queen's Counsel of his generation, Sullivan had battled his way up from tough working-class roots in Bradford to a Cambridge scholarship. But rather than turn his skill into millions at the commercial bar, he had chosen criminal law and become a notoriously fearless prosecutor. The pundits said he was certain to make a move into politics before he was forty.
It was an impressive array of legal talent and the nods and smiles they exchanged amongst themselves told Jenny that despite representing different clients they were united in wanting the same result, and quickly. Her suspicious were confirmed when, as Alison swore in the eight jurors who had been chosen by lot from a pool of fourteen, the lawyers huddled and whispered to one another, as if finalizing battle plans.
The preliminaries dealt with, Jenny turned to address the newly empanelled jurors, who sat in two rows of seats to her left positioned at ninety degrees to her and the advocates' desks. In an arrangement far more intimate than that found in a regular courtroom, the six women and two men would sit in the thick of the action, almost within touching distance of the small table and chair which would serve as a witness box; close enough to Jenny and the lawyers to spot every tic and gesture.
Hoping that only she was aware of the hint of a nervous tremor in her voice, Jenny explained to the eight puzzled faces that a coroner's jury had a completely different task from that in a criminal case. Their job was to listen to all the evidence called concerning the violent death of Eva Donaldson, a twenty-seven-year-old former adult movie actress whom they had doubtless known as the public face of Decency. At its conclusion they would be asked to use their common sense and good judgement in completing a questionnaire known as a 'form of inquisition'. The most important questions they would have to answer were when, where and precisely how she died. Finally, Jenny reminded them that there had already been a brief but well-publicized criminal investigation into Miss Donaldson's death, which had concluded with Paul Craven's confession and subsequent guilty plea to her murder. Given that fact, they might be forgiven for thinking there was nothing more to be investigated, but, she stressed, the coroner's court had a duty to look at the evidence independently from the criminal court. What had gone before must not influence them in any way.
Sullivan couldn't contain himself. 'With respect, ma'am,' he said in a thick, combative Yorkshire accent, 'the jury must be reminded that they have no power to contradict the finding of the criminal court. Craven has been properly convicted of Miss Donaldson's murder and therefore this tribunal cannot, under any circumstances, contradict that finding.'
His aggression hit her like a fist. Battling a fresh eruption of anxiety, Jenny said, 'I don't agree, Mr Sullivan. The law is very clear on the point. In the Homberg case the High Court said, "The coroner's overriding duty is to enquire how the deceased died, and that duty prevails over any other inhibition."'
'As I understand the law, ma'am, the only verdict this jury is entitled to return is one of unlawful killing. And with all due respect, given Craven's conviction, it could be argued that these proceedings are of doubtful legitimacy at best.'
Jenny's apprehension was overwhelmed by a rush of anger. 'I will forgive you for not being familiar with the status and procedures of the coroner's court, Mr Sullivan, but you should know that it is neither inferior nor superior to the Crown Court. Although there are many who wish it were not so, a coroner has an entirely separate jurisdiction and must conduct her inquiry in a spirit of uncompromised independence. Is that understood?'
Rocked by the ferocity of her response, Sullivan was briefly silenced. 'We'll have to agree to differ,' he muttered, and returned slowly to his seat with a look to the jury as if to warn them that they were