“Now, there is a witness who says they saw you getting into the passenger seat of a vehicle on Lonsdale Road.”
“Yes. That was me. I had gone out for a walk, and I tripped over and hurt my foot. So I phoned my wife to come and collect me, but I was walking towards the high street, not away from it.”
“Is that why the phone company say your phone was operating in the area at that time.”
“Yes. I assume it is. I understand the technology is not 100% so it cannot cover a location with pinpoint accuracy.”
“Why did you say you had been home all day?”
“Because I’m a traveller. The police are always hounding us, saying we are responsible for everything. I’m not like that. I run my own business, working six days a week to support my family. I don’t rely on state handouts. I’ve worked every day of my life since I was fourteen. A few of my kind give us all a bad name, but I’m not like them, the same way, not every Muslim is a terrorist. Romany gipsies are an ethnic minority and subject to the same prejudice as black people, through no fault of our own.”
“So what you are telling the jury is that you were not on Pickstone High Street at the time of this accident. That you were not the driver of the 4x4.”
“That’s right. It wasn’t me.”
“And what about the witness who states they saw you on the day?”
“As far as I am aware, the only place they have seen me is at the police station in a line-up. I don’t believe the other people stood out as much as me. They weren’t wearing the same clothes. I happened to be wearing a Manchester United t-shirt, and none of the other people in the line-up had one. I think that influenced the witness against me. I just know it wasn’t me.”
“Thank you, Mr O’Connor.”
When the selection had been made to approve the members of the jury, Ursula Quinn and her defence team had deliberately chosen people from ethnic minorities, including two Muslims, when the jury selection process had taken place and she had ‘prepped’ Kevin in the words to use to help win these jurors over.
Chapter Thirteen
THE PROSECUTION WITNESS
Finally, it was time for the prosecution to bring in their most powerful evidence. Their main witness, Will Gleeson.
Sebastian Cooper got to his feet. “I call William Gleeson to the stand. Now, Mr Gleeson, can you tell us about the events of the afternoon of July seventh.”
“Yes. I was out shopping on Pickstone High Street. I had just been to the shoe shop, and I was going to the newsagents to buy a magazine. As I walked along, I saw a white car stop at the crossing, and two girls begin to cross. As they did, a Ford Kuga 4x4 drove round the white car and knocked down the two girls. They were both flung across the road onto the pavement. The 4x4 then crashed into a lorry coming towards me on the other side of the road.”
“Yes. It must have been a big shock. What happened next?”
“Everyone was crowded round the two girls, and the lady driving the white car just sat in her vehicle. I think she was too traumatised to move. The lorry driver got out. He seemed to be okay. The driver of the 4x4 got out and walked away. I didn’t see where he went.”
“I believe you got a good look at him and later gave that description to the first police officer on the scene.”
“I gave a basic description of a man I saw. I assumed at the time that he was the driver. Looking back, I didn’t actually see him getting out of the vehicle.”
“Eh, but you were there. You said in your statement he was the driver. You described him in detail.”
“I thought at the time he was. And then the police called me in for an identity parade. I pointed out the man I thought I saw but having had time to think about it I’m not sure he was the man who got out of the 4x4. I saw someone looking like him there as I describe. He could have been someone just passing by, and I got confused. Also with the time I’ve had to think about the incident, I remember I had seen the gentleman the previous week. You see I have an extra part-time job as a security guard, and I was working at a local charity football match, and he needed assistance as he fell over and hurt his foot. I think I had to go and get medical assistance for him. So I’m not sure if that clouded my judgement when I saw him in the line-up at the police station later. I think he was probably wearing the same clothes as the previous week and so I picked him out when with hindsight I probably wasn’t one hundred per cent sure. I’m extremely sorry if I’ve caused a problem, but it wasn’t my intention.”
Roger Maynard and his ex-wife had been watching from the public gallery. The police had assured Roger and Francis the witness was reliable and certain of his facts. It didn’t seem that way now.
Ursula Quinn stood up to cross-examine the witness.
“Mr Gleeson. Obviously it was a very traumatic day for you. There you are walking to a shop when suddenly this horrific scene takes place right in front of you. No warning, just a couple of seconds to react. I imagine had it been me I would have been horrified and just glued to the
