It takes more than a lone criminal hack to bring together a book spanning the breadth of the justice system. So it is that, for a second time, I find myself embarking upon an exercise in trying to convey my deepest and most sincere gratitude to people who have no idea who I am, and who, for no reason other than boundless generosity, have taken time to steer me on the correct course as I navigate areas of law outside my own daily practice area. In the ordinary run of things, I would offer each and every one a thank-you drink, meal or bear-hug of their choosing, but in the circumstances all I have to give are some inelegantly expressed words of appreciation, and a promise that, should our paths ever cross in daily life, I will surreptitiously drop a chocolate bar in their bag.
And so, in alphabetical order, I would like to thank, as heartily as words on a page can convey, the following, all titans in their respective fields, whose expertise far outweighs my own, and all of whom would have been fully entitled to refuse to enter into unsolicited correspondence with an anonymous person on the internet. That they did not, and instead spent hours answering questions and reading drafts, speaks to their kindness and charity, which one day, if circumstances ever permit, I hope to meaningfully repay.
Huge thanks are therefore due to Mary Aspinall-Miles, Gordon Exall, Carl Gardner, Katie Gollop QC, Steve Hynes, Sean Jones QC, Shoaib Khan, David Mason QC, Michael Mynolas QC, Giles Peaker, Adam Wagner and Harriet Wistrich.
If I, at any point over the previous 300 pages, have sounded in any way informed or knowledgeable, it is because I have greedily drawn on their wisdom. Any objectionable opinions or errors of fact, interpretation or judgement, other than those attributed to the targets of my ranty ire, are mine.
As for the idea and inspiration, I am once again indebted to the brilliance of my agent Chris Wellbelove and editor Kris Doyle, whose expert guidance and endless patience are integral to any success that I may have stumbled upon. This is an infinitely better book than would have emerged from the sprawling ideas I initially thrust in front of them eighteen months ago, and the credit is theirs. I am also eternally thankful to Chloe May and Penelope Price for their eyes for detail and powers of expression that ensured a much more refined manuscript exited the copy-editing process. That the editorial, publicity and marketing team have once more accommodated, without a whisper of complaint, the whims and caprice of an anonymous author juggling a legal practice is an indulgence for which I am truly grateful.
I would also like to thank all those in the justice system, Parliament, media, social media and beyond, who supported the first book and worked tirelessly to amplify its message about broken criminal justice. You gave me this platform to draw attention to the issues facing the wider justice system. I hope I can repay your faith.
Finally, and most importantly, I must address my debt to the person who may sometimes feel as if they rank finally and least importantly in the hierarchy of my attention. For the months of weekend solitude during the writing process, to be added to four years of evening solitude as Twitter and blogging consume the pockets of free time we would otherwise share; for accepting without demur the inconvenience of a second secret existence atop the already inestimable demands of your own work, as well as the misfortune of being partnered to a criminal barrister; for shouldering the weight of our joint personal burdens, and never once complaining – as you rightly should have – that you were carrying for both of us; for getting me – us – through the hardest days and forgiving me without request for my being too distracted to support you in the way I should have; for bringing light and hope when we needed it most; for inspiring and consoling me during the empty times and keeping me earthed when my ego ran wild.
For all of this, and a thousand things more, I owe you a quantum I will probably never be able to repay, although I will never stop trying. You know this, I hope, but because it can’t be said enough: I love you, I’m immeasurably thankful for you, and I’m sorry. And I will – I absolutely promise – unglue myself from Twitter at 6 p.m. sharp every evening. Just as soon as people stop being wrong about law on the internet.