Drew Payne

There's so much here Mrs Stewart-Graham could use on appeal and she's certainly intelligent enough to do so, but spoilers, spoilers…

@chris191070, thanks for that great comment. Things were always stacked up against Liam, especially the evidence. The end of Liam's is coming soon and things will change.

The next witness Mrs Stewart-Graham called was Duncan Loughton. The man slowly walked into the courtroom, his awkward gate on his crutches slowing him down. His right crutch moved forward, then his left crutch moved forward, and this was followed by his legs almost swinging after them. It seemed to take him an age to reach the witness box. He was dressed in a dark grey suit with a white shirt under it, though he didn’t wear a tie. Even struggling to reach the witness box, with a determined expre

Spoilers, spoilers. Miss James isn't a witness because of a big reason, and Liam will find out later.

@Anton_Cloche, thanks for your comment, you've hit several things right on the nail. In England you are innocent until proven guilty (Ha, ha), but so often so many people have made up their minds before a trial begins, and that can include the jury. I learnt a lot about the English justice system from reading the Rumpole stories by John Mortimer, who was himself a barrister. In many of those stories there were judges who had already decided the guilt of a defendant before the trial starts. The two days of a trial I observed, as research for this story, I saw a judge who had decided that the defendant was already guilty. I was shocked, and that shock formed the character of the judge here. I also wanted to make the judge the voice of the establishment. I'm writing chapter 22, and I have this story planned out, so I know what will happen. Mrs Stewart-Graham has a lot of grounds for an appeal, but that will be explained, also I will explain about what is happened outside of the courtroom, which Liam has been shielded from, which is causing a lot of pressure on everyone taking part in this trial, including the judge. This story is told solely from Liam's point-of-view and so we find out facts when Liam does, which can be much later than everyone else.

This story is about redemption but that is a long way down the line. I am fascinated by your take on this opening chapter, I worried that I had given away too much information here. Thanks for your feedback and happy reading.

That's fascinating. I know where the trial will end and I know what's happening outside of the trial (which Liam has been shielded from), and your take on it is fascinating. Thank you

Mrs Stewart-Graham wasn't very "respectful" to the prosecution witnesses either and she lives to upset the judge (during this trial). I won't be too sure that the jury hasn't yet decided that Liam is guilty, Liam can't what's happening outside the court room and he can’t read people’s faces yet.

When it came time for Mrs Stewart-Graham to present Liam’s defence, she had stood up and in her clear voice said, “We call our first witness: Mrs Nicola Webb!” She was his Form Teacher. In puzzlement, Liam had watched her walk into the courtroom. What did she know about him, beyond his name? She had barely spoken to him in all the time she had been his Form Teacher. Most days she hadn’t even looked at him. Mrs Webb wore her usual clothes of a colourful blouse and a plain skirt. That da

The judge's behaviour and the question of an appeal will be addressed but later. Unfortunately, the jury isn't living in a vacuum, and that will be addressed later. This story is seen from Liam's point-of-view and therefore we find out information as Liam does, so there will be a bit of a lag in this happening because he isn’t at the centre of events in his life.

Thank you so much for this amazing feedback. I’m sorry I missed your comment With this story I wanted to write about what happens behind the headlines. Liam has been dismissed as a child knife killer but there is a whole life behind those headlines. His trial is running on the black and white arguments of what he did, there is no room here for the nuances of what happened.

This judge was based on the judge at the trial I watched but I have added more to him. I made the judge have the values and judgements of the establishment/society, the prejudices and opinions based solely on the crime a person has committed. Like so many people, the judge only sees Liam as a knife welding killer.

The last witness the prosecution called was Gemma Clarke, Rhys Clarke’s mother. She was wearing a black trouser suit and white blouse as she strode into the courtroom, Liam was surprised by how much she resembled Rhys. She had the same pale skin, the same blonde hair, though hers was worn a neat long style, that day tied back into a ponytail at the back of her neck, and she even had the same strong profile to her face. She had addressed the courtroom from the witness box with a voice as str

The trial I watched, at the Old Bailey (name dropping), wasn't a murder trial but the judge had obviously decided that the accused was guilty, and he didn't hide it. I was shocked but the barristers didn't seem to be.

Though he is certainly not old enough to have presided over a capital punishment trial, I am sure this judge complains to everyone that the "Worst thing they ever did" was abolish hanging. Dr Harvey is very happy to say what the police/prosecution want her to say, she's there to please. There has been a good few scandals of pathologists doing this, but when I was a student there was a psychiatrist in the hospital who had the same reputation. It's explained later why Miss James isn't here but I don't want to say more.

This is my big problem with the adversarial system of justice, two barristers arguing from two different standpoints. Are juries swayed by the facts or by who makes the best arguments?

His trial only really began on the second day. The jury stayed sitting in their seats that day, not forced to leave the courtroom as yet another legal argument played out. The judge had entered the courtroom, that second day, the last person to do so, and again everyone had had to stand up. Once they were all settled down but before any statements were made or witnesses called, the judge turned to the jury and, said: “You have all heard a lot about this case in our media, and a lot of sensa

It is who decides what evidence the jury gets to hear? The trial I watched, it seemed like the jury was being sent out of the court room, while the barristers and the judge argued points of law, every five minutes. I do find this all so complicated and it makes me question how much justice is served. Plus, this chapter is a child's eye view of a complicated trial.

Thank you so much. I based this chapter on two different trials, they both struck me as unfair the way illegitimate defences were dismissed/not allowed. In the trial I watched, the judge seemed to very much have made up his mind and was favouring the prosecution. I have huge questions about the Criminal Justice system.

The first morning of his trial seemed to be taken up with Mrs Stewart-Graham, the prosecution barrister, Mr Justin Spencer, and the judge arguing. The first thing that happened was the judge sent the jury out of the courtroom. The twelve people had walked out of there, one following after the other, many of them wearing obvious disappointed expressions on their faces. Liam had watched them in surprise: weren’t the jury there to hear his trial and find him guilty? But they were being sent st

Thank you, that is a wonderful compliment, especially as the only time I have been in court was sitting at the back of the public gallery. I did my research and it seemed to have pay off.

They put him into a white-tiled cell in the basement of the building, locking him in. He’d expected that they would take him straight into the court room and had been surprised to be placed in there. They left him in there for a very long time. It seemed as though an age passed him by as he had no idea how long it was. He had no watch and there was no decoration to the walls, certainly not a clock. Liam sat on the cold, tiled bench and stared at the white tiled wall in front of him. In his

Yes and he's famous for all the wrong reasons. He knows he's guilty but doesn't know what will happen to him. It’s not an easy time to be so uncertain.

Liam’s room felt so small: it hadn’t felt big when he first saw it with Donna leading him in there, but today this room in the B&B hotel felt so small. Liam pushed himself up and out of his old armchair. No, Leo Brown did and… Liam gave his mind a mental shake. He would always be Liam Andrews. He could tell himself his new name was Leo Brown over and over again, but underneath, he would always be Liam Andrews. The springs in the chair’s seat let out their usual metallic ‘boing’ noise as the

Thanks @FrankD, that's such high praise. I am busy writing The World Out There, but once that is finished I really need to write more of Shaun and Harley's story. I've got two more stories about them planned out.