Mr Simpson was admitted to hospital following a car crash in Fulchester. He was examined by doctors and treated for minor injuries before being discharged. Moments later, Mr Simpson collapsed on the forecourt of the hospital and was rushed back inside for emergency brain surgery, from which he died. His widow Mrs Simpson is suing the hospital for neglect, claiming that the doctors who initially treated her husband missed the injury.
Wealthy Property developer Emmanuel Lieberman is trying to evict his former fiancé Delia Savage from an exclusive penthouse apartment overlooking London's Green Park. He claims that he merely allowed her to live in the apartment until they were married, but Ms Savage insists that Mr Lieberman gave her the property as an engagement gift. Mr Lieberman says the engagement was called off when he discovered his own son naked with Ms Savage when he returned home unexpectedly from a trip to San Francisco. Did he really give the apartment as a gift? Or is he simply trying to recover the prestigious property in order to sell it on at huge profit?
Helen Lord, a maths teacher at Fulchester's John Fordhurst secondary school, is accused of wounding a police officer with a chisel. The court will hear that Miss Lord went to Calderley police station to speak to Detective Bretherton about the contents of a letter which he had sent to the headmistress of the school, advising her that Miss Lord was not suitable to work with children. When she was denied access to Detective Bretherton, she 'went berserk' and attacked the desk sergeant. The decision of the headmistress to employ Miss Lord without checking references is also being brought into question.
Following an armed raid by four masked men on a Fulchester bank in which £30,000 was stolen, local villain Harry Bryant was identified as one of the robbers. In court, he decides to sack his defence team at the start of the trial and defend himself. He bases his defence on unreliable identification and on the fact that due to his criminal background, the police are determined to 'fit him up' for a crime that he did not commit.
Did Lawrence Webb murder his cancer - stricken wife Moira by giving her an overdose of morphine? Was the overdose taken accidentally? Was Moira Webb's death the result of a 'mercy killing' or an 'assisted suicide'? The jury will have to consider some emotive issues before reaching their verdict.
A father and son are charged with attempting to smuggle a huge amount of heroin into the country. The drugs were discovered during a search of the vessel on the River Thames after it arrived from France. The couple claim they knew nothing about the heroin on their boat.
Two friends, Linda Mitchell and Rosemary Clayton, are accused of conspiring to shoplift a dress from Hombards Boutique in Fulchester. A store detective claims that Mitchell tried on four dresses in the changing rooms but emerged with only three. Ms Clayton, it is claimed, tried to cause a distraction when Mitchell was challenged about the missing dress by claiming that her purse had been stolen. The store detective claims to have seen the two women put the stolen dress into their car, hidden beneath a raincoat, before Clayton drove away.
A spiritualist is accused of fraudulently obtaining money from a widower after performing a series of séances at which he claimed to be making contact with the woman's recently deceased son. The payments for the séances ranged from small cash gifts to a large house. The prosecution claim that the spiritualist took advantage of a vulnerable woman.
Foreign Office employee Margaret Terson took top secret documents back to her home while she was dating East German businessman Hans Muller. The prosecution claim that Muller, a communist, was a spy. Miss Terson, who had been under police surveillance during her dalliance with Muller, is now accused of breaching the official secrets Act.
A radical young journalist and his student girlfriend are accused of conspiring to cause an explosion which rocked the offices of a local company. The prosecution is based on two pieces of evidence found at the couple's flat during a raid - a pair of plimsolls containing fragments of glass matching the glass at the company's offices, and letters written by the couple suggesting that the premises should be attacked.
Art collector Walter Lander purchased an extremely valuable painting from British collector Alice Starkie. When he announced his purchase to the art world, another collector came forward to claim that he has had the original painting for several years, and that Lander's purchase must be a fake. Alice Starkie is charged with obtaining money by deception, but claims she sold the painting in good faith, believing it to be the original. Is she telling the truth?
Roddy Maitland, the rising if temperamental star of British tennis, stormed off court during a Wimbledon semi-final. He then drove up to Fulchester to confront Dr. Holt-Matthews, the father of his pregnant girlfriend Gail. On being told that that her pregnancy was now over he attempted suicide in a hotel room by slashing his wrists. However it is Maitland who is now on trial for criminal libel after writing a letter in which the Prosecution allege he maliciously and falsely claimed the doctor to be "an abortionist" and "a murderer". The Defence case is that Dr. Holt-Matthews's callous attitude led him to such a conclusion and that there is no proof Gail had a genuine miscarriage.
George Robins is a second hand car dealer and well-known ladies man. He has disappeared. Blood stains were found at his country cottage. A local car thief, Harold Barnes, is charged with his murder, but Barnes claims that Robins has not been murdered but has faked his own death so that his wife can claim a large insurance pay-out. The prosecution will try to prove that Barnes has indeed murdered Robins even though no body has ever been found.
The spurned lover of a Church of England clergyman is accused of blackmail after threatening to expose their affair unless the vicar pays £400.
A military historian has been accused of libel by a British Army Major following the publication of a book on the British Army's involvement in the Korean War. The author claims that the Major abandoned his post and left his company of soldiers to be massacred by the North Koreans. The Major insists that he was the last man standing in the conflict and escaped to safety only after the rest of his company was wiped out. Was the Major a hero, or a coward?
Fulchester's notorious Curl brothers are accused of demanding money with menaces and GBH. The court will hear that the brothers had been conducting a reign of terror over Fulchester's club and bar owners through a Chicago-style protection racket. After refusing to pay the brothers for protection, a number of club owners suffered injuries ranging from falls down stairs, feet burned with electric fires and attacks with hammers. Indeed, one of the brother's own enforcers has disappeared and is believed to have been buried under the new M16 motorway foundations.
Town Hall corruption is exposed in this case, as two employees of Fulchester Borough Council are charged with fraudulently purchasing land which was at the centre of a planning permission wrangle. The land was then quickly re-sold at a much higher price than that originally paid by the council employees to the previous owner, a local market gardener, who claims that he only sold his land when he was informed that a new motorway by-pass would run through his farming land. Did the Council employees use their inside knowledge for their own financial gain?
Before his death a year ago, a renowned artist wrote a will in which he bequeathed his estate to his favourite model, Rose Messiter. The will is being challenged by his business partner Brenda Kingsley, who had been named as sole beneficiary in an earlier will written by the artist. She claims that at the time of writing the second will, the artist was not of sound mind. Ms KIngsley is now challenging the second will and is laying claim to the artist's estate.
A prison officer at Fulchester's Park Moor Prison is charged with accepting bribes to smuggle a number of prohibited items into and out of the prison by an inmate, who is also facing charges.
A 15 year old schoolgirl has given birth to an illegitimate baby. Within a week of the birth, the body of the baby has been found buried in the girl's back garden by police acting on a tip-off. The schoolgirl's father (the baby's grandfather) has been charged with the murder of the baby after it was discovered that the infant had been strangled.
A 21 year old man has been blinded after an attacker flung acid into his face. Was the attack carried out by his own cousin following a family feud?
A pensioner is mugged in a dark alley. two young black men are identified as the muggers in a local youth club. However, the defense claims that the identity parade was not carried out according to correct police procedure.
A man is left paralyzed after being shot on his own doorstep following an argument about a betting slip. Two brothers living next door stand accused of attempted murder but claim the gun went off by accident during a scuffle.
Count Alucard, a Dracula-themed illusionist, is shot dead on stage when a stunt involving a gun goes horribly wrong. His assistant (his wife, Rita) is accused of having tampered with the gun, killing him after discovering yet another of his affairs. did she purposely kill her husband, or was the gun faulty?
A wealthy industrialist who made his fortune in African mining projects has died and left his fortune to his widow and two children. However, an African man has come forward to claim his share of the inheritance by claiming that he is the son of the businessman from a previous, secret marriage to an African lady. Is he genuinely the son, or is he an impostor trying to fraudulently claim money?
A night security firm stands accused of attacking a young courting couple with dogs and truncheons after they had entered a private development via a hole in the perimeter fence. The couple claim the attack took place outside the fence after they had left the premises. The firm's right to use truncheons is also being questioned by the prosecution.
A retired lawyer decides to defend himself in court after he is charged with shoplifting.
An estranged wife has accused her husband of rape. The husband denies the charge and claims that his wife has made up the allegation in anger after he refused to increase her maintenance payments.
A construction company building a suspension bridge is being sued for compensation by the wife of a workman who has been badly injured in a fall from the bridge. The prosecution claims that the workmen had not been provided with safety belts. The defense insist that safety belts were available, but the workman chose not to wear one and may even have been drunk when he fell from the bridge.
A militant trade union activist is accused of stirring up trouble on a picket line outside a newspaper headquarters. The defense are suggesting that there is a political motive behind his arrest but the judge has insisted that the trial must not be turned into a political debate.
A gang of four criminals have raided a warehouse and a night-watchman has been shot and seriously wounded. Two of the gang have been acquitted of attempted murder at an earlier trial. The third member of the gang is now on trial after finally being apprehended in Essex. The fourth gang member, the getaway driver, has turned Queens evidence in return for police protection and is now being used as a prosecution witness. Is his evidence reliable enough?
Fiona Gray is charged with arson after setting fire to her estranged husband's house. As her children were in the house at the time, the defense are claiming diminished responsibility.
Archie McNeil is a bigamist. He married three women under Islamic Law in Somalia, where he has business interests, and a further three women in the U.K. Is he just a hopeless romantic? (The press have dubbed him 'The blue-beard of Scotland'). Or did he, as the prosecution claim, marry his wives for financial gain? After being traced by a Private Detective to a hotel room in Scarborough, where he was on honeymoon with wife number six, Mr McNeil must now explain his actions in court.
Fulchester United's star striker Arnie Campbell's career is over following a foul by Porthampton City's hard-man defender John 'Chopper' Bates. Bates denies making the foul challenge and claims that one of Campbell's own team-mates was responsible. Did Campbell's own team-mate deliberately injure him after discovering that Campbell was taking bribes from a local bookmaker to 'throw' matches. The court will hear that bribery, betting scams and corruption have become a common feature of modern professional football.
A stolen car has been found containing a painting which has also been stolen. The owner of the car is now on trial.
Fulchester builder Benjamin Patch is accused of fraud. He became a national celebrity when he devised a revolutionary scheme which enabled young couples to purchase cheap new houses for just a one thousand pounds deposit. After the scheme collapsed, hundreds of investors have lost their money and are still without a house.
The wife of a university lecturer stands accused of perjury and perverting the course of justice. At a previous trial, she gave evidence against one of her husband's students, who was then convicted of stealing a valuable vase from the university. But the vase turned up at an auction three weeks after the student was convicted of stealing it.
A doctor, and the mental institute at which he works, are being sued for damages by a mentally retarded young woman. Whilst living as a patient at the mental institute, the young woman became pregnant. She claims that the doctor performed an abortion on her against her will and knowledge. The doctor is well known for his controversial views on genetics, which to some appear similar to those held by NAZI ideologists in the 1930's.
The Sunday Nation newspaper, and one of its leading reporters, are being sued for libel after describing a psychotherapy group as 'harmful' and 'fraudulent'. Stephen Harvesty QC, for the defendants, will try to convince the court that the psychotherapy group is indeed nothing more than a cult which forces its members to part with large sums of money for very little in return.
A Fulchester lady is accused of attempted murder after shooting a council worker who was felling a rare Black Poplar tree in her front garden. She claims that she did not aim the gun directly at the worker but merely intended to scare him and prevent him from carrying out his work in protest against the council's decision to chop down the tree.
Maurenn Sellers is accused of kidnapping a baby which had been left in its pram outside a Fulchester supermarket. She claims she had the mother's permission to take the baby, who she had previously babysat for, but the mother denies this.
The Personnel Manager of a metal factory is accused of stealing a coat belonging to the Managing Director. The prosecution claim that this relatively trivial offence was just the latest in a long line of petty crimes against the Managing Director by the accused, which began after he was served with a redundancy notice.
Barbara Airey is a hairdresser earning £1500 a year according to her tax returns. How, then, does she afford her lavish lifestyle which includes fancy cars and a private education for her two children? The Inland Revenue, and the prosecution team, want answers. Ms Airey insists that her three wealthy lovers lavish cash gifts upon her which enable her to live the sort of lifestyle that would require earnings in the region of £10,000 per annum.
A ten year old girl has accused a man of groping her as she made her way past his seat in the cinema. However, it is the girls' mother who is in the dock accused of blackmailing the man, demanding money from him in return for not reporting the incident to the police. The man denies the child's' accusation and claims that he had slapped her leg for being rude to him.
A Fulchester man is accused of dumping thousands of gallons of toxic waste from Fulchester Metals Ltd into a quarry, but claims he had no idea that the waste was toxic. Was he conned into dumping the chemicals by the boss of the metals company, who is also on trial?
An African couple are accused of deliberately trying to run over the man who, for the past nine years, has been the foster parent of their young daughter. It appears that a custody battle for the young girl between the natural parents and the foster parents has turned into something more sinister. The incident, which took place in a pub car park, appears to be just one of many in a series of unpleasant acts against the foster parents.
A 13 year old boy is charged with the murder of his 12 year old pal after suffocating him with a plastic bag. Was there a real intent to harm the boy or did a game they were playing go horribly wrong? The defense will try to prove that the accused boy was not aware of his actions and agree to have the youngster placed under hypnosis in court to prove a point.
A theatre production company is charged with breaching obscenity laws following the performance of a play at the Fulchester Palace Theatre. The performance, which included nudity and sex acts, led to dozens of complaints being made to the Fulchester echo. The defense insist that the trial cannot continue until the jury has watched a performance of the play. The prosecution insist that reading the script should suffice. The judge has a decision to make on this issue before the trial can proceed.
After previously being convicted of assaulting a police officer, the leader of The Thunderbolts, a local motorcycle gang, has returned to court. He's accusing the policeman of malicious prosecution, claiming that the officer bore a grudge against him after he dated the policeman's daughter.
A Belgian mercenary soldier is charged with treason after leading an uprising in Santa Isabella, a small British dependency. The defense argue that as the accused is not a British national, he owes no allegiance to the Queen and therefore cannot possibly be charged with treason.
Following an argument at a summer barbecue in Fulchester, a lady guest, Mrs Lawlor, is attacked by the hostess, Mrs Blandford, with a heated kebab skewer. Mrs Blandford stands accused of malicious wounding. The accused claims that she slipped on wet grass as she was serving food and that the injuries were caused by accident.
An author is accused of blackmail after writing a book titled 'Just Good Friends?' in which he claimed that the close relationship between two eminent former M.P.s (one of whom has recently died) was of a homosexual nature. The author denies the charge and claims that he was offered £15000 not to publish the book by the surviving Member of Parliament, who wanted to keep the nature of the relationship quiet. The politician denies that the relationship was homosexual and claims he was blackmailed by the author.
Just minutes before his death through illness, Charles Laker told his doctor that he believed he had been cursed. Adelaide Vincente, the head of a little-known Fulchester witches coven, stands accused of murder. A witness from the medical profession tells the court of a growing belief among doctors that causing death and injury by witchcraft is indeed possible.
In the village of Chelton, just outside Fulchester, an elderly man is knocked off his bicycle and killed by a speeding green Mercedes convertible. The car is traced to a local wealthy businessman who now needs to explain why the car in question was taken to a local garage for repairs within hours of the incident. The accused denies causing death by dangerous driving. His defense counsel are claiming that the policeman dealing with the case held a grudge against the accused ever since a previous attempt to prosecute him on another matter proved unsuccessful.
her 14 month old son after he is admitted to Fulchester General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. The mother claims the injuries were sustained when the baby fell down a flight of stairs while she was busy dealing with a leaking washing machine.
Jack Smith is an aging ex-convict with a string of convictions. He appears to have formed a Fagin-like relationship with a young boy, Leo Trotsky. Together, they are charged with stealing copper piping from a building and also of using this to cause actual bodily harm.
School teacher Juliet Tomlin is accused of indecently assaulting one of her 15 year old pupils. She denies the charge, but it has come to light that the pupil, named in court only as Robin, recently spent two nights at the house of the teacher. Were the pair conducting an illicit affair, or did they simply become the victims of misplaced playground and staffroom gossip?
An Argentinian cattle rancher is suing a Scottish beef farmer after buying a bull for a record price at a Fulchester cattle auction. After the purchase, the bull was discovered to be infertile.
An acclaimed political author stands accused of the rare crime of 'incitement to disaffection', in other words, encouraging two young soldiers serving in Northen Ireland to dessert the army. The prosecution claim that the idea to dessert the army only entered the soldier's minds after reading his book, which criticized the way in which the British Army was behaving in the province.
The prosecution claim that the accused, Mr Bennington, was responsible for an arson attack on the home of a man who he suspected of having an affair with his wife. Mr Bennington denies the charge and claims that he was at home asleep following a heavy drinking session at the time.
A Royal Air Force squadron leader is accused of spying, a serious charge which carries life imprisonment. After crashing his car, diagrams and scribbled notes relating to a new design of bomb have been discovered in his pocket. Why did he have them? And why was a young Russian lady also in his car?
Dr Stephen Saul is a young Australian surgeon charged with manslaughter. It is claimed that during routine heart surgery, he performed a risky heart transplant on patient Eric Maple, who died during the operation. Dr Saul insists that he secured permission to carry out the transplant from the patient before the operation but Mr Maples' wife is adamant that this is not true. Another surgeon at Bellsides hospital claims that Dr Saul only carried out the unnecessary transplant to make a name for himself in the world of surgery.
Christmas episode
After suspecting that irregular betting patterns had taken place at a greyhound stadium, bookmaker Ronald Charles refused to pay out on a winning betting slip worth over £200,000. A group of men have subsequently been accused of having conspired to cheat the on-track Tote betting system, and Mr Charles, out of thousands of pounds.
A Fulchester man has pleaded guilty to obtaining money by deception but now faces a more serious charge of arson, which he denies. The latter charge follows a fire at a Fulchester antique shop.
Pakistani housing landlord Muhammed Aslam is accused of demanding money with menaces from a number of illegal immigrants from Pakistan, who have found their way to Fulchester across Europe by train and boat. Mr Aslam insists that he was merely demanding his fees for arranging the immigrant's journey and for housing rent.
Following relegation Fulchester Rovers manager Aleksander Gruda is sacked. However he claims players Skelhorne, McIver and Appledene deliberately played badly in order to achieve this end. All three now stand trial for conspiracy.
After surviving the crash of a light aircraft in which two passengers were killed, the pilot of the aircraft is suing a relative of one of the victims for libel. The relative claimed in a newspaper article that the pilot was medically unfit to fly the aircraft and may also have been attempting to commit suicide by deliberately crashing the plane. He denies the allegation.
Phil McDowell has been deserted by his wife and daughter, has been sacked from his job as a bank clerk and is now on trial for abducting Fiona Sumner, a fourteen year old girl. He denies the offence and insists she agreed to go with him.
Irene Rutland faces charges of theft, criminal damage and wounding a police officer. The officer was called to a restaurant after Mrs. Rutland was involved in an argument over what she considered an excessive bill. The prosecution argue that she was in a drunken rage and struck the officer while resisting arrest. She was also found in possession of a handbag belonging to another woman - Linda Brightson - and she is also charged with theft of this item and damage to the restaurant.
Two mountaineers died in an unsuccessful attempt to scale the Choga Sar in the Himalayas. That ill-fated expedition is now the subject of a libel trial. Captain Piers Bowman who led the climb alleged in a TV documentary that the men died as a result of the cowardly and negligent behaviour of fellow climber Dennis Wainwright. Wainwright argues the allegations were false: he behaved completely properly in dreadful conditions and the men's deaths could not have been prevented. He suggests Bowman has made the claims because he is unable to cope with failure and is looking for a scapegoat.
James Mallard signed a confession admitting that he had stolen a car belonging to his doctor with whom he and his family have long been unhappy. He had hinted to the doctor just before the incident that he would do him some harm. Mallard has now retracted his confession and asserts his innocence. He argues that he was forced into a confession by Sergeant Attrass who has long victimised him because of his criminal past. The prosecution argue that the initial confession was absolutely correct.
Rock musician Lance Porter is suing his father Reverend Fortescue Porter in a civil case. He composed a rock opera called "Jesus, Baby!" about the nativity. He promised his father the copyright to the show on the understanding that if he fell on hard times he would receive part of the proceeds. However his father then spent all the considerable revenue on charitable causes even though he strongly disapproved of the content and style of the show. Reverend Fortescue says he did nothing wrong. At the time neither he nor his son expected the production to make money. In his view Lance has not fallen on hard times and has no need for any share.
Charles Holloway is charged with murdering two women - an aunt and her niece - who lived in the flat above. He does not deny shooting the women but pleads diminished responsibility, arguing that their extreme anti-social behaviour caused him to lose control. The Prosecution, however, insist the shootings were premeditated.
Long serving prison officer William Hogarth, a strict disciplinarian, is accused of wounding with intent Johnson, an unpopular inmate. Johnson was found injured in the toilets where he had gone in search of secreted drugs. Hogarth insists his innocence and argues that the assault was actually committed by another inmate who then tried to frame him for the offence.
Annie Robertson, a socialist and benefits rights campaigner, is suing social security officer Stephen Ash for libel. She alleges that he falsely and maliciously stated in a report that she was close to alcoholism, mentally unstable and cohabiting with Edward Rimmer and therefore ineligible for benefits. She denies all these claims and argues that Ash invented them when she resisted his sexual advances. By contrast Ash asserts that his comments were professional, honestly made and broadly true.
Critic Derek Glynn is being sued for libel by veteran actress Sarah Leigh after he wrote an article claiming she engineered the dismissal of her young co-star Patricia Drake from the play "Boobs". He insists his comments were true.
Lady Carvell received a telephone call from her son Sebastian telling her that he had been kidnapped by the KLF - a South African militant group - and that unless a ransom of $250 000 were paid he would be killed. Sebastian later turned up at the family home but the ransom money was missing from the house safe. Sebastian is now on trial accused of faking the kidnapping as a pretext for stealing the ransom money.
Elspeth Durrant, a temperamental woman with a history of mental illness and suicide attempts, is found dead in her bed after taking a large number of pills and alcohol. Shortly before she had told her husband Frank that she was going to commit suicide. However the prosecution insist this was not a genuine suicide but a case of murder - he was tired of her behaviour and asphyxiated her by turning her face into her pillow while she was unconscious.
For four years the Barlows fostered a young girl - Minnie Biddulph - whose biological parents were both alcoholics. The Barlows hoped to adopt Minnie but instead Miss Prossitt, the Head of Social Services, ordered that Minnie be returned to her biological mother who was now recovered. However the prosecution say that Mr. Barlow ignored the order and took the girl to London. He is now in court accused of child stealing.
Sean Jameson was shot and injured by farmer Paul Brimmer while walking across his land at night. Jameson was squatting with his girlfriend Angela Bourke in a dilapidated cottage on Brimmer's land and the Prosecution allege that Brimmer was angry about this and deliberately shot him. Brimmer denies the charge and says that Jameson had stumbled into a ditch while drunk and he had mistaken his red hair while on the ground for a fox.
The south tower of a new shopping centre collapsed resulting in the deaths of eight people. Was this a tragic accident or the responsibility of site agent Joe Carney? The prosecution allege that Carney objected to the "socialist" design and expense of the tower and was determined to see it fail with disastrous consequences. Carney does not deny that he disliked the building but denies he was in any way at fault. He argues that the building collapsed because of faults in a new material which he had warned against but his complaints had gone unheeded.
Terence Finlay was stabbed to death at the house where he lodged with Beryl Jackson and Gerald Prosser. Only one - or both - of these people could have committed the crime. The prosecution argue they jointly killed the victim whom they had manipulated and financially exploited for some time. However each defendant protests their innocence and claims the other was solely responsible.
Wealthy local personality Malcolm Winfield was mugged walking through a park late at night with Ronald Hamilton whom he had met at a club earlier in the evening. Hamilton was unharmed in the attack. The victim's wallet was found later on at the home of Derek Clark and Sharon Cox, tucked inside a record player. Winfield says that Clark and Cox attacked him that evening. Hamilton is also accused of the same crime - the prosecution argue he was a male prostitute who willingly took part in a plan to entice Winfield to the park where his former house-mates could rob him.
Sylvia Spencer visited Dr. Jonathan Francis seeking to terminate her pregnancy - she had been deserted by her boyfriend and wanted to conceal her condition from her brutal, disapproving father. Dr. Francis told her that an abortion was not possible and persuaded her to continue the pregnancy and release her baby for adoption. She took this advice and immediately after birth the child was placed in the custody of Mrs. Hine who had been unsuccessfully trying to become pregnant for years. However the prosecution allege this was no legal or proper adoption case.
Douglas Cardy, head-teacher of a school for disabled children, stands accused of ill-treating one of his pupils - Tom Rigby, a fifteen year old with cerebral palsy. It is alleged he struck the boy after he turned on taps and flooded the school and then locked him in a bare room for nine hours. Cardy denies the charge and insists he punished the boy in a reasonable manner for the good of the whole school.
Computer programmer Samuel Warren is accused of transferring £125000 over a long period from his employers by computer to a non-existent company - whose supposed bank account number matched his own. Warren does not deny that he made the transfers but claims they were not fraudulent and intended to expose the poor computer security of the company which had consistently ignored his warnings of the problems.
The Tedmar, a boat owned by businessman Edward Blaney, was wrecked at sea after apparently running into mechanical difficulties and bad weather. Blaney and his mistress Edwina Sheridan had to be rescued by another boat. However the insurance company representative Draxland refused to pay out, arguing that Blaney fabricated the claim and deliberately wrecked the craft. Blaney is now suing the company for the cost of his boat.
Margie Middleton is standing trial accused of bigamy. The prosecution allege that she went through a marriage ceremony to Colonel Middleton knowing that she was still married to her long estranged husband Patrick Delaney. However the defence argue that her marriage to Delaney was itself null and void because he was actually still married to Kathleen whom he claimed had been killed in an air raid during the Second World War.
Inspector Bill Clegg, an unconventional detective, is accused of obtaining money by deception. The prosecution allege that he exaggerated his expense claims by over two hundred pounds, possibly to pay a major informer called Harry after his superior officers refused to authorise payment. Clegg argues that he has been unfairly accused by his colleagues and is merely guilty of making genuine errors.
Robert Denton, a clerical officer at a weapons research establishment, stands charged with copying a secret document about a missile and then selling the information to the Soviet Union. The prosecution offer unusual proof that he copied the document and argue that he sold the information for £5000 to try to solve his major financial difficulties.
Following an anonymous tip-off Lillian White was found in possession of stolen watches and jewellery, an offence for which she was later sent to prison. However she was also was in the care of recently-qualified probation officer Trevor Creswell whom she accused of helping her to conceal the items.
The body of Joseph Meadows, a rich, reclusive, hypochondriac businessman, is found inside a deep-freeze cabinet in a cellar at his home. However this was no ordinary cellar but kitted out as a surgical ward under the charge of Hungarian refugee Dr. Karoly Sebes with whom he shared the house. The prosecution assert that Dr. Sebes murdered Meadows in a spurious cryogenic experiment. However the defence claim that Sebes is innocent - his technique was working and his patient only died when a police officer opened the cabinet and ruined any chance of success.
Anthony Smith and Jim Webb are accused of various offences relating to an incident when they picketed the premises of the True Loaf bakery where they were on strike. The prosecution allege that they obstructed and then intimidated lorry driver Ronald Bates who was attempting to deliver flour.
Olivia Bessemer, a seventy three year old woman, is accused of poisoning her step-niece Carmel with the intent of harming her.
Leonard Tyler (Paul Freeman) is accused of trespassing on land belonging to former girlfriend Mary Chatham (Alison Steadman).
On Valentine's Day in 1956 a young woman and alleged witch - Olive Rudy - was found dead in a field, the victim of an apparent ritual murder.
Teacher Thomas Frears is accused of assaulting Jonathan Ashe, one of his students.
MI6 interpreter Kenneth Gould stands accused of passing secrets onto the KGB, in one instance resulting in the deaths of two British agents.
Colonel John Egerton was jailed in India for gun-running and later dismissed from the army following a court martial. He alleged though in an article for the Sunday Star newspaper that he was innocent and was working for British intelligence who then disowned him when he was caught.
Twenty year old Mary Hepple offers astrological readings under the name of "Miss Virgo". Although she works from a basement flat she is paying rent of £50 per week, far above the standard for similar properties.
An old tramp is accused of stealing a wallet, but has he been set up by the public-school headmaster?
Emma Lakeland stands accused of smuggling Grigori Petrov, a suspected terrorist, from France into Britain.
Tipskill Manor, a large derelict, abandoned house burned down while retired teacher Millicent Conway watched on. At the scene Miss Conway, who once worked at the Manor, appeared to confess to a police officer that she set fire to the house.
Frederick Barker stands accused of assaulting his neighbour Jimmy Dean and destroying his racing pigeons.
Mrs. Constance Bell was shocked to read in a magazine that a ming vase had sold at auction for £95 000 - shocked because she argues this vase was family property bequeathed by her late mother and which she says had been sold without permission.
Eric Flynn has brought a private prosecution against his wife Ethel for actual bodily harm. He alleges that at the last new year he was hit by her with a saucepan when he returned home unexpectedly late at night. As a result he required stitches in a head wound. Ethel denies the charges and the defence suggest that Eric was drunk at the time and has wrongly accused her. They say he was assaulted by someone else, possibly Ethel's mother or in the street by an unknown assailant.
The case against Ethel Flynn concludes.
Sophie Mannering, editor of the radical magazine "Tell", faces the rare charge of seditious libel.
Sophie Mannering, editor of the radical magazine "Tell", faces the rare charge of seditious libel. It is alleged she knowingly published an article which urged readers to "kill the pigs".
Case conclusion.
Rosalind Fortescue was a resident until her death in an expensive care home where she developed a close relationship with her nurse Bridget Behan.
Last year Jimmy Biddle was convicted of the electoral crime of personation: voting as eight different people who had recently died in a local election. Now he is a witness for the prosecution in the trial of businessman and councillor Harry Webb.
At an earlier trial George Ross was found guilty of the murder of his business associate Jack Murphy but the jury could not come to a verdict on the same charge for his twin brother Sammy. Now Sammy is being re-tried for murder.
Wealthy American Daniel Wolff, who has been previously investigated but not charged by the FBI for suspected drug-dealing, is charged with the attempted murder of scientist Edgar Dryden.
Industrial chemist Alec Parker stands accused of criminal damage, specifically of damaging a pump at the factory where he worked, resulting in repairs costing £20000.
Joe Plowman seemed due for release from a hostel for recovering alcoholics but after a late-night incident he was left dead from a stab wound. Resident social worker Nancy Church is now charged with his murder.
In an unusual case the Crown Court has to decide whether Megwynn Spiteri is fit to stand trial on the charge of murdering her five year old twins David and Maria.
The factory of Scott Electronics burned down in the middle of the night in what appeared to be a clear case of arson while its owner Hugh Scott was away in London. However he now finds himself in court charged with this offence.
Neurologist Dr. Anthony Boyde and the Reverend Francis King set up a centre called "The Healing Hand" to support sufferers of chronic illnesses. While Dr. Boyde was away the centre's finances came under serious question and Reverend King now faces charges of stealing from its funds.
During the clearing of a site for travellers Councillor Knox was seriously assaulted leaving him blind in one eye and with a punctured lung - both permanent injuries. Knox says he was attacked by Reuben Hartley, one of the travellers.
This civil case hinges on a dispute between two word-renowned mezzo-sopranos. The American Chery Vandamm claims that she was falsely imprisoned by her rival Ethella Burns, an Australian. Vandamm was booked for a role in London but argues that Burns plotted to take her place.
Errol Hunt, a Guyanese immigrant to the UK, stands accused of stealing four cassette recorders from Ballards, a factory where he worked.
Gynaecologist Dr. Hector Catty is charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm by performing an unnecessary caesarean operation on Deidre Thomson.
The pet cat of Mary Freebody was mauled to death by Bang, an alsatian dog owned by her neighbour Major Basil Eccleston. Miss Freebody then wrote a letter threatening to kill the Major and his dog. Shortly afterwards Bang died
GP Dr. Thanet is suing Winifred Phelps for libel. She published material accusing him of distributing the contraceptive pill to underage girls - including her then 15 year old daughter Linda - on demand and being "an evil influence" in the community. Linda has since disappeared.
Morris Downing has risen from modest beginnings through an exceptional educational record to become a chancery barrister. However he now finds himself on the wrong side of the law, accused of growing cannabis and allowing his fellow defendants to smoke it at his weekend home in Fulchester.
Actor Joseph Molloy faces two charges of attempting and acquiring money by deception.
David Timmins, a 19 year old striker, was imprisoned after being convicted of assaulting a police officer at a demonstration.
Squatters from the university occupied what they thought was an empty holiday home and changed the locks to prevent the owner's re-entry. It was in fact the permanent home of Edward Lumsden, an elderly man. When he returned home to find himself locked-out he called his daughter Vera Chadwick who came to the house to resolve the matter. She took a shotgun along with her. This gun was ultimately fired and one of the squatters - John Worsley - was shot and permanently blinded in one eye.
Building worker Peter Malloy stands accused of conspiracy to intimidate others into strike action, affray and planting a bomb and causing an explosion.
College student Walter Demmis died when his car crashed after being involved in an incident with a vehicle driven by lecturer Bernard Watson. Watson now stands trial accused of murder.
Eleven year old Julian Morgan has been in a coma and seems unlikely to recover after being seriously injured at home. The Prosecution argue that his mother Linda Morgan had a history of beating him and inflicted the catastrophic injury.
The dismembered body of car dealer John Butlin was dumped from an aeroplane into the Irish Sea. He had been earlier been stabbed. Now Philiip Shepherd finds himself on trial for murder.
Gynaecologist James Binyon and G.P. Fiona Stone face trial accused of sterilising a fourteen year old girl - Janice Scott - without her mother's permission.
Colin Tiler is a popular and respected teacher at a comprehensive school. However he is now in court charged with the indecent assault of one of his pupils, fifteen year old Kevin Anderson.
Ian Whiting, an accountant, is charged with assaulting his wife Jennifer. She says that he regularly attacked her culminating in a final assault that left her seriously injured. He argues that she was prone to rages and that her injuries were caused when he tried to defend himself.
Robert E Scard is accused of deceiving clients about the performance of his businesses in order to attract investments that he then pocketed. He insists he has been framed and evidence of his innocence has been destroyed.
Thomas Nolan was so badly assaulted that he is unable to give evidence in court. Teenagers Frank Price and Sheila Cronin are charged with committing grievous bodily harm on him. The Prosecution claim that Cronin is "vicious and vindictive" and led Price who has learning difficulties. Both defendants assert their innocence - they do not deny an earlier argument with the victim but say they were at home when he was attacked.
Akanni Dawodu is accused of harassing one of his tenants, Mrs. Obl, with the intention of driving her away from her tenancy. It is alleged that he frightened her using a ju-ju (black magic) ceremony which used the bodies of dead animals and death threats using her name. Dawodu asserts his innocence, arguing that the religious ritual was an innocent act of purification and that he believed she was casting the evil eye over him.
James William Kent is charged with assaulting two police officers. They say he punched and kicked them after they arrested him for trying the handles of parked vehicles.
Stanley Roberts was electrocuted and killed when his crane touched cables; a young boy who rushed to help him was also killed in the incident. A postmortem showed that Roberts had drunk alcohol beforehand. His employer Albert Hunter is now charged with health and safety offences.
Leavis and Lovelace work together as jobbing builders and a pub comedy act. They also now share the dock, accused of disguising themselves, tricking their way into the homes of two old aged pensioners and then robbing them.
Cafe owner Frederick Muir stands accused of incitement to racial hatred. The prosecution allege that he unfairly dismissed Tunde Williams, a highly qualified Nigerian immigrant, on the grounds of his race.
Trawler captain William Stringer is charged with causing the death by neglect of John Sullivan, a young crew member who was swept into the sea in extremely stormy conditions.
At an earlier trial Sylvia Turner was acquitted of soliciting on Fulchester High Street. However she now finds herself on trial accused of perjury. The Prosecution claim that Miss Turner lied when she said in court that she was not soliciting on that occasion - she is a known prostitute and propositioned a man.
Prison officer William Parker has been left permanently physically and mentally disabled after being attacked in prison - an attack that was shortly followed by a major riot causing huge damage. Inmate Stephen Benson is now charged with grievous bodily harm, the Prosecution arguing he bore a grudge against Parker and hit him on the back of the head with a hammer inflicting catastrophic injuries.
Lola Martin is on trial accused of persistently importuning for immoral purposes and striking Jeffrey Lent. The case is made more unusual as Lola Martin is a transvestite and gay man and Lent is an undercover police officer who says he was trying to catch drug dealers in the club where the incidents occurred.
Terence Healey, an admitted career criminal turned used car dealer, spent almost two years in prison and faced three trials before being acquitted of involvement in an armed robbery. He is seeking damages from Police.
Jacques Denver and Agnes Lisle, a couple of St Lucian heritage, are accused of abducting their son Ashley from the care of the local authority. Ashley had been taken into care and sent to a residential school for children with learning difficulties.
Scottish nationalist campaigners Hamish Stewart-Mackenzie and Davidina McLeod stand charged with the theft of an oil tanker that was taken from Services near Kendal.
Dr. William Ranford and John Meetham are accused of responsibility for illegal experiments on animals by their cosmetics company. The prosecution has been brought by an animals rights organisation that says the experiments were cruel and unnecessary; the defendants say their actions were justified and required for international sales
Ralph Gibbs was working as a stock-man and living in a tied cottage until he was sacked and evicted by farm manager Robert Aldrich. Gibbs says he and his pregnant wife were harassed and victimised by Aldrich who now stands
Unemployed plasterer Frank Hanlon stands accused of burgling at night a shop called The Jewel Box and stealing a watch and a ring. He was arrested in the company of a young woman with whom he was having an affair - Marion King - and found to be in possession of identical items to those stolen and a screwdriver which the Prosecution claim he used to force open the door.
Faith healer Peter Croft is seeking damages for libel against Harry McDonald. In a radio interview McDonald described Croft as a fraud who exploited patients. McDonald's wife had consulted Croft after being paralyzed - it seemed permanently - following a riding accident.
Jasper Fortesque and Sir Harold Dupuis have been at odds for years. However matters escalated dramatically when Sir Harold objected to a letter about the future of Gibraltar from Fortesque and when to his home to confront him - this confrontation ended with Sir Harold suffering stab wounds from Fortesque's dagger. Fortesque faces a charge of GBH but insists Sir Harold was wounded by accident.
This unusual trial centres on an alleged assault in the courtroom at the end of another case. Harold Phillips is accused of striking his wife at the close of a trial where her new partner, barrister Jeremy Halstead, had been prosecuting.
Petra Clennell is accused of wounding her husband Alan with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. She stabbed him with a pair of scissors after he returned home late one night.
Ronald Crosby faces accusations that he deceived investors about the current state of his companies in order to fraudulently drive up share prices for his own profit. These companies later collapsed and Crosby left the country
Researcher Francis Galway faces the rare charge of inciting the police to disaffection, specifically towards strike action. He had been working for a right-wing pressure group who were campaigning against what they saw as "threats to democracy". The prosecution allege that Galway tried to fabricate evidence of subversion by a left-wing workers group and invited a police inspector to a meeting of fascists in Italy.
Eighteen year old Navlika Patel and her younger brother Dinesh run a market stall and are accused of offences connected to a dispute with fellow market trader Henry Pegg. The prosecution allege that Dinesh stole a roll of cotton from Mr. Pegg's stall. Mr. Pegg then went to recover the roll from the Patels and in the process was stabbed with a pair of scissors in the stomach and wounded by Navlika.
Gerald Peck is a self-confessed former drug addict with a number of previous drugs convictions. He is now accused of possession and dealing of drugs in connection with his role as manager of the Mandala Club. Police claim that Peck allowed the club to become a centre for drug use and dealing and that he was found with drugs in his office drawer.
Clifford Grant stands accused of various macabre offences including desecration of corpses and church property and making threats to the church's vicar and a detective investigating his case. He does not deny that he is a follower of witchcraft but insists he is only concerned with doing good and has no interest in black magic, Satanism or depraved rituals as the prosecution allege.
Three packing operatives - Rhoda Benson, Avril Bullen and Freda Miller - face charges of actual bodily harm and indecent assault against electrician David Moston.
Four year old Leonie Klein was seriously injured after falling from a fire escape at the home of unregistered child-minder Sylvia Kelly. Mrs. Kelly is now on trial accused of ill-treating and neglecting Leonie. The prosecution argue that Mrs. Kelly was trying to look after six children and was unable to properly care for Leonie. They allege that she was annoyed with her and sent her out onto the balcony even though she knew it was unsafe.
Barbara Truscott, whose husband is a solicitor and aspiring politician, is accused of the theft of a tin of salmon from a supermarket. There is no question that Mrs. Truscott took the salmon but the case hinges on whether she intended to do so.
Billy Baker faces two charges of wounding with intent against Jimmy Witt. The Prosecution allege that Baker slashed Witt's face with a razor and later arranged for the squat he was living in to be demolished while he was still
Arthur Barnard is warden of a hostel for homeless women. John Wragg and Richard Livesey wrote a letter and issued leaflets alleging that Barnard sexually harassed Mr. Wragg's wife who was staying at the hostel and that he generally managed the hostel in an unpleasant way with the aim of forcing residents to leave.
Olive Hope stands accused of harassing her tenant and next-door neighbour Audrey Taylor. The Prosecution allege that the two women fell out and then Mrs. Hope tried to drive out Mrs. Taylor by playing loud music at night, banging on the walls, asking her to leave at short notice, burning down her shed and even staging a burglary in which Mrs. Taylor's house was ransacked.
Paul Adams is accused of the murder of Cyril Hubbard who was stabbed during a mugging. The Defence do not deny that Adams and various witnesses were involved in street robberies. However they argue that the victim was stabbed accidentally in a struggle.
In a bizarre and protracted case Cosmic Planning Consultants are suing the Rosenberg Research Foundation for libel. The latter accused the former of irresponsibility in building an old people's home at the top of a Himalayan mountain with the toilets sited three thousand feet below. The plaintiffs insist their unusual choice of location was the right one and they have been unfairly maligned.
Introverted middle-aged bachelor Leslie Simon and outgoing teenager Barry Gems seem worlds apart but an encounter between them in a parks public toilet late on a Saturday night left Mr. Simon badly injured. The Prosecution assert that Gems deliberately assaulted him.
David Miller is accused of committing grievous bodily harm against Ronnie Dewhurst, a man with whom he has long had a tense relationship and whose former girlfriend he has married. Dewhurst says he was assaulted in a pub
Dispatch worker Raj Singh is accused of stealing merchandise from the Electrotoy factory where he worked and of wounding his supervisor Ronald Makepeace. The Prosecution argue that the goods were found in the boot of Singh's car by Mr. Makepeace whom he then assaulted in a fit of anger. However Singh denies both charges. He retorts that the items were planted in his car, the culmination of a campaign of racially-motivated harassment throughout his employment.
Dr. Ruth Wilkins attended a concert by singers John Barnard and Julie Gilmour. However she was not a fan and after hearing them perform one of their songs they are charged with blasphemy. Dr. Wilkins is a committed Christian and moral campaigner and argues the song causes outrage to Christians. The Defence maintain that the song is quite acceptable and a legitimate statement of protest against the cruelties of war.
Robine Fisher stands accused of infanticide - specifically of smothering to death her baby son Michael - while suffering from post-natal depression. The Prosecution case is that she was an inadequate mother who eventually lost control. Injuries on his body suggested he had been deliberately suffocated. The Defence claim though that she cared deeply for Michael and that he died of cot death syndrome. Her desperate efforts to revive him inadvertently caused the injuries.
Novelist Derek Easton is accused of harbouring escaped psychopath John Bright and aiding and abetting him to commit rapes by supplying drugs used to subdue the victims. He had met Bright while on a voluntary stay in a psychiatric hospital and the Prosecution claim the two became strong friends. Easton denies the charges. He says he did not know Bright was a serious sexual offender, did not know he was on the run and did not assist him with the rape offenses.
Nadia Phillips faces charges of malicious wounding and criminal damage. The prosecution case is that she assaulted her former fiancé Bob Turner and damaged artworks created by his new partner Alice Lovell.
George Mitchell, a prisoner on a release programme, was found by a police officer in possession of a cashmere coat containing items of jewellery. The coat and jewellery all belonged to members of the wealthy Cunningham family with whom he had been staying while Mrs. Cunningham offered him rehabilitation support. Mitchell admits to stealing the coat but argues that he is innocent of the other alleged thefts. He insists the items were planted and he is the victim of a frame by a member of the Cunningham family.
George Grainger has a long list of convictions for handling stolen property. How can he explain away a garage full of stolen whisky?
Marianne Miller has admitted to forging her birth certificate but denies obtaining property by deception from Harry Miller and a former partner Victor Czaky. However this is no typical fraud case because Marianne was born as Stephen Lewis and after a sex change operation "married" Harry Miller. This "marriage" was later annulled as she was born male. Both men claim they had no idea she was born male and would never have embarked on the relationships had they known her true sex.
On the final day of the trial, Marianne's father takes the stand, as does an eminent endocrinologist, who testifies that, in his medical opinion, Marianne Miller is a woman.
Frank Robey and his brother-in-law David Charlton have had a tense relationship for some time. Matters though took a rather serious turn at the end of a New Year's party resulting in David Charlton's jaw being broken. The Prosecution argue that Robey struck Charlton with a frozen leg of pork he had taken to the party, angry at it being rejected as a present. However the Defence claim that Robey is innocent. They don't deny that he was unhappy with his brother-in-law but insist the injuries occurred accidentally in a fall.
A concert by rock band "Tears" ends when teenage fan Michelle Hinds is blinded when her face hits the footlights while being ejected from the stage by roadie James Fagan. Fagan is charged with GBH but claims the incident was an accident.
Borstal inmate Steven Fisk is accused of stealing items from a shop while he was on an unsupervised visit to the town centre. It is accepted that Fisk took the goods and then handed them in to police. The prosecution contend that Fisk stole the items with the intention of selling them and using the proceeds to cement his position as a "daddy" or dominant figure within the borstal.
Two schoolboys visited a funfair looking for a fifty pence piece that one of them had dropped. While there they met a man who offered them the same amount each if they would perform indecent acts with him. The boys reported the matter to the police and they identified Reginald Barton as the offender. The Defence do not deny an offence took place and Barton admits to a long criminal record for sexual offences against boys. However he insists he is innocent on this occasion and is the victim of mistaken identity.
Divorcee Nora Docherty is charged with exercising control over a prostitute - her own daughter.
John Hibberd, an old man, was left paralyzed and unable to speak after two strokes and was cared for by his wife Violet. She now stands accused of deliberately harming him - firstly by scalding his arm with boiling water and then by putting caustic soda in his bath water. Both Prosecution and Defence agree that the Hibberds had a very unhappy marriage but Violet denies deliberately inflicting the injuries - she insists both occurred by accident.
In 1964 Yannis Christodoulou, a Greek-Cypriot immigrant, appeared before magistrates charged with wounding Ahmed Hilmi, a Turkish-Cypriot. Christodoulou left for Cyprus before trial at a higher court. Fourteen years later he returned to the UK thinking the case had expired but it has in act been referred to the Crown Court. The Prosecution argue Christodoulou was taunting Hilmi over events in Cyprus but the Defence say he was only acting in reasonable self-defence, thinking Hilmi and a friend were going to attack him.
Eighteen year old Terry Selwyn died after taking an overdose of his medication while staying at a hostel for mentally ill youngsters. Anna Damon, the former warden, now faces the charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection with his death. The Prosecution allege that she was guilty of criminal neglect in allowing him access to the pills. She asserts her innocence, arguing that she was not on duty at the time and that the hostel was badly managed by its director Gudrun Ewbank.
Stella Martin-James is accused of stealing money from Mary Carr and Patsy Donovan. However this is not a conventional case of theft as the girls are staying at Green House probation hostel and Miss Martin-James is their warden.
The Fulchester Free Press published an article accusing journalist Dennis Broadley of being dishonest and a drunk after he wrote a critical article about dancer Linda McDonald. Ben Hare and Julia Andretti of the FFP are now being sued for libel by Broadley who says his comments about McDonald were accurate and involved no deception but they say he tricked her and is notorious for his problems with alcohol.
Amy Sellars stands accused of the attempted murder of her daughter-in-law Valerie. The Prosecution case is that Amy disliked Valerie who she felt was not right for her son and attempted to kill her by drowning. They allege she organised a rowing trip despite boating conditions being poor and then pushed Valerie - who could not swim - into the water. The Defence reject the charge and retort that Valerie Sellars fell into the water accidentally.
Kenneth Eden, a wealthy man, did voluntary work with his wife helping youngsters at a local children's home. However he now finds himself accused of stealing a necklace from and indecently assaulting teenager Barbara Brown. The Prosecution say he was found in possession of Barbara's necklace and molested her when she visited his house. He denies both accusations, arguing Barbara left behind the necklace and the assault claim has been invented by Barbara and her care workers.
Gerald Elliot, a retired senior police officer, formed a neigbourhood watch programme with Leonard Dugdale and Anne Sutcliffe. They apprehended a local youth - David Bodger - whom they suspected of committing vandalism. They then took Bodger to Mrs. Sutcliffe's home for "questioning" before referring him to the police. All three are now on trial accused of actual bodily harm - Bodger alleges he was doing nothing wrong and was beaten up by them. The defendants all protest their innocence.
Two schoolgirls are accused of robbing and stabbing a labourer.
Jane Selsey is accused of stabbing and wounding her father. The Defence case is that the wounding was accidental but evidence emerges of some disturbing events and attitudes within this seemingly traditional family.
Dorothy Ryan is accused of grievous bodily assault against social worker Hilary Henshaw. Miss Henshaw had deemed that Mrs. Ryan was incapable of looking after her four children and the Prosecution claim that Ryan first threatened Miss Henshaw with violence then attacked her in the car park leaving her covered in blood. The Defence case is that there was no assault - Ryan was upset at the decision but merely wanted to talk to the social worker but slipped on icy ground which resulted in her accidentally knocking her to the ground.
Rita Finch made a very positive impression in her new job in a children's home, in particular showing an ability to manage troubled teenager Kevin Laurence. However she now finds herself on trial accused of indecently assaulting him. The Prosecution allege she allowed her positive connection with Kevin to slide into an unprofessional and intimate relationship. While she accepts her fondness for him she insists their relationship was never intimate and particular doubt is cast on the motives and honesty of chief prosecution witness and former colleague Adelaide Perkins.
Writer and former radio researcher Annette Sanderson is being sued for libel by her former colleague Jean Frazer Allardyce. Miss Sanderson does not deny that her comments were defamatory but argues they are true. She claimed that Miss Frazer was a manipulator who used sex to win people round to her side - including herself. She also alleged that Miss Frazer failed to give her proper credit for her part in a successful radio show, deceived listeners and even engineered her dismissal on the grounds of immoral conduct.
Vera Barnes - better known as "Madame Veda Bronski", a spiritualist and professed clairvoyant - is charged with obtaining money by deception from widow Elizabeth Penn. The Prosecution claim that she took advantage of the vulnerable Mrs. Penn and tricked her into donating £17500, supposedly towards a spiritualist centre that was never built. The Defence respond that Madame Bronski does appear to have unusual gifts and even these are disputed she has a sincere belief that she can contact the dead and help people like Mrs. Penn.
The friendship of Stephen Prentice and Don Rose has faded away over the years. Now Prentice finds himself on trial for assaulting Rose during a parks football match, accused of kicking him in the head after he had fallen to the ground.
A fire in the Sycamore Grove nightclub resulted in the deaths of seventeen people and injuries to many others. However this was no accident in the view of the Prosecution. They allege that owner Janet Godfrey and general manager Paul Flood were responsible for the fire through gross negligence as they failed to maintain a safe building. Both defendants though insist they fulfilled their responsibilities correctly.
Jennifer Hollings is accused of wounding with intent to commit GBH against her baby son Matthew who was pulled from his pushchair, shaken violently and his head banged against a fence. The Prosecution say that following the sudden "cot death" of her baby daughter Mrs. Hollings never accepted her later-born son. The Defence case is that following her daughter's death Mrs. Hollings was terrified Matthew would also die suddenly and, seeing no response from him, took drastic action to stir him back into life.
Seventeen year old Arthur Holland is charged with the murder of his twenty six year old step-mother. Mrs. Holland died after consuming poisonous mushrooms which had been offered to her by him. Arthur is an amateur mycologist with a keen interest in collecting mushrooms. The prosecution claim that he was more than aware that they were dangerous and point to his poor relationship with his father after his remarriage.
Paula Carline is accused of maliciously wounding Felicity Carline, her husband's ex-wife. Felicity Carline says that she had an awkward relationship with Paula whom she felt had been unpleasant to her. One day Felicity was buying drinks in an off-licence when she encountered Paula. She was making her way to the exit with her arms embracing a number of bottles when Paula threw a packet of nuts at her that she had forgotten to take with the rest of her shopping. This was an aggressive act that caused her to fall where she was badly cut by glass,
Student Lucy Brennan won a beauty contest and later accepted a dinner date from Ted Morrison who was on the organising panel. However at the end of the evening she was left with injuries to her neck and face and a torn dress. She told police that he indecently assaulted her, refusing to accept she was not attracted to him. He asserts though that she was a very willing participant in very physical foreplay and that she only took a different line after her flatmate - a former fiancée of his - stumbled upon their encounter.
Anarchist and peace campaigner Margaret Seagrove is accused of attempting to persuade soldiers to desert from the army.
Ghulam Ahmed was seriously injured by a gang in an apparently racist attack. The attackers have never been caught but the attack was witnessed by police officer Robert Bowles. The Prosecution argue that Bowles chose not to intervene until the attack was over and criminally failed in his duty, perhaps motivated by racist ideas. However Bowles insists his delay was in order to call for help in a dangerous situation and witnesses are conspiring against him.
A Woman is accused of shoplifting when she is followed around the store by a store detective.
Pensioner Avril Stone was followed by Kevin Owen, a teenager carrying a lead pipe, who caught up with her took her handbag. The Prosecution say this is a case of Owen seeking money so he could get away from home. However the Defence paint a different story of Kevin being a lonely youngster deprived of life outside the home by his over-protective mother and obsessed with TV crime programmes. In their view he panicked when he encountered Mrs Stone and took her handbag without thinking.
Wendy Grant agreed to bear a baby for the Breakspears, a childless couple, for £6500, an agreement illegal in English Law. The baby, Anna, was born with a serious but treatable heart defect, and the Breakspears withdrew from the deal. Anna was then left outside their house before dawn on a cold morning; she suffered exposure and died. Mrs. Grant is now charged with murder, the prosecution claiming that she abandoned the child knowing she would come to serious harm or die.
Mary Ginsel stands accused of blackmailing her local MP Sir Roland Richardson. The Prosecution allege that Miss Ginsel falsely accused Sir Roland, whom she met at her philately society, of being the father of her young son and then threatened to expose him to the press if he did not pay her maintenance. Miss Ginsel admits that she asked him for money but says this was justified because he was the father of her child and that she made no threats towards him.
Ministry of Defence worker Joseph Guilfoyle and journalist Robert McBride are jointly charged with offences under the Official Secrets Act. The Prosecution claim that Guilfoyle removed a file from the Huckstone Edge research centre where he worked and passed it to McBride who then published details in the radical magazine "The Outsider". They claim that McBride is a communist agent working for Polish intelligence.
Joseph Kiernan, a scrap metal dealer from a traveller background, is accused of the theft of a copper cylinder from the shed of Ronald Sibley. The Prosecution say that Kiernan was seen after midnight in the garden of Mr. Sibley and the next morning was seen by a police officer hiding the cylinder under his lorry. Kiernan does not deny handling the cylinder or being in Mr. Sibley's garden but says the cylinder was planted to incriminate him and he was simply retrieving it - the case against him is motivated by hostility towards travellers.
Alice Atha died at the age of 73. A post mortem revealed signs of emaciation and tuberculous meningitis. Her daughter Grace Barber and son-in-law Harry Barber are accused of her manslaughter through neglect. They allege that the couple were indifferent to her welfare, leading to her starvation which triggered the meningitis for which they failed to seek medical help.
Sixth former Sam Tait signed a confession to police admitting that he set fire to his school. He has now retracted that statement and asserts that he was pressurised by police into admitting arson. The prosecution argue that Tait has a long record of disobedience and disaffection at school and his school file shows him as having been punished for starting a fire two years earlier. However he denies the offence and says he has an alibi that he had been in a lesson until moments before the fire.
Antiques dealer Stephen Hodges is accused of assault causing actual bodily harm against Jacqueline Coombes, the estranged wife of his partner Andrew Coombes. He is accused of striking her following an argument when she came round to visit Mr. Coombes. Hodges denies the charge and says he didn't hit Mrs. Coombes. The defence accept that she was injured but that she sustained the injuries falling outside.
An unusual relationship developed between arms dealer Russell Steadman and CND campaigner and feminist Hilary Rogers. She now has a strong antipathy towards him. Indeed she has accused him of deliberately driving his car at her causing her serious injuries. He is now on trial facing the charge of grievous bodily harm. He does not deny he struck her in his car but insists the incident was entirely accidental, resulting from poor visibility on the night in question when she was wearing dark clothing and moved into his path.
Mr Bolton, an eminent Fulchester Councillor, is accused of indecent assault. It is alleged that he fondled the breasts of his 18 year old secretary Gillian Heyes in his offices when she was called in to take down dictation from the Coucillor. The court will hear that the incident was witnessed by another employee who had entered the office while the assault was taking place. Barry Deeley QC leads the defence. His team will suggest that Miss Heyes' family have held a grudge against the Councillor since an application to sub-let their property was rejected.
