Another show of solidarity on this, the first day of the third week. We, Rachel’s family and friends, are very much in tune with each other’s feelings now. This thing has brought us all close in a way I could never have imagined. It is so good to reach out a hand and to know that there is always someone there to take it, to understand what you are experiencing. This feeling of unity, I believe, can only be understood by those who have been in such a situation themselves.
We expect this day to be taken up with the closing speeches, with little real hope of the judge getting round to his summing up. As the prosecuting barrister, Mr Marson will begin. He speaks very well, very eloquently and puts his case across firmly. I think he covers every aspect and I notice, not for the first time, how suave he is, how urbane and in control of himself. I only hope that he has put our case across in a strong enough manner to convince the jury of Little’s guilt.
Time seems to pass quickly as we all listen intently to his words so it’s rather a surprise to look at the clock and see just how long his speech has lasted. There is no way that the defence lawyer will have time for his speech this morning. It looks like we will all be sent out for lunch a bit earlier than usual but we need the time out to psych ourselves up for Mr Kadri and whatever he has to throw at us.
The stroll across to the pub over the road has become second nature to us by now. It’s just some place to spend the recess, as opposed to remaining in the courthouse, or venturing into the city centre, neither of which really appeals.
Mr Kadri is raring to go, no sooner than the proceedings under way. We’ve observed his performance for over two weeks now and are quite sure he is about to pull out all the stops on this, his final onslaught. It’s his last chance to get Little off the hook and I don’t relish what we are about to witness.
When seen outside of the courtroom, Mr Kadri looks very insignificant. Wigless and minus his gown, he passes as your everyday man in the street. However, once attired for action, he takes on a new and quite frightening persona, almost like a bird of prey about to swoop. In my heightened state of tension, it feels like he is homing in on me alone, as he immediately goes to work.
In the early part of his speech, he concentrates on Marc, trying his utmost to make the jury believe that he is the one who really ought to be on trial. One could be fooled into thinking that he is actually the co-accused, instead of a person against whom no charge has ever been levelled. His voice rises dramatically as, pointing his finger at Little, he declares that his client is the innocent party. He again pushes the issue of a retrial, with Marc in the dock in place of Little. He once more implies that the police did not take their investigation far enough and should be made to do so now.
I find his words frightening, even though I know for certain that the right man is already in the dock.
Mr Kadri presses on relentlessly and really starts to hit hard. I am finding it hard to sit here as he begins his next line of defence, which, to my despair, turns out to be nothing more or less than a character assassination of Rachel.
With the appearance of everyone’s favourite uncle, he smiles benignly at the jury and says,‘Now, I know my client is a fat slob – he won’t mind me saying so because that is how he describes himself. But he is not so repulsive that he couldn’t get a girl.’
What is this leading up to? I soon find out.
‘We have heard that Rachel was in a steady relationship.’ Mr Kadri pauses and takes a sweeping look around the courtroom, in particular at the public gallery. ‘It is not unheard of for someone to go astray. Indeed, even married women have been known to do so.’
What a scurrilous comment and coming from one who knows nothing of Rachel, a further insult. How dare he sully her memory in this way and do it with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders?
More salt is rubbed into the wound as he continues, making little of the phone calls I made that morning, by saying,‘And, as for the phone calls, well, she could have chosen to ignore them, had her own reasons for not wishing to answer.’
No mention, though, that his client denied their very existence. Rachel is dead, she was murdered and yet this man is compounding our grief by implying that she wasn’t up to much anyway.
Ray is in such a fury that he can hardly be held down. His voice is clearly audible as he states, in no uncertain terms, what he will do to this man. So angry and upset is he that he storms out of the courtroom, followed by several others, though I stay put.
I am hardly aware of the remainder of Mr Kadri’s rhetoric as I sit with my head in my hands, unable to look at his face as he continues to blacken my daughter. She is not on trial here. All this is being done to justify Michael Little’s actions on that night. Were it even remotely true that Rachel had chosen to consort with a ‘slob’, it did not give him licence to murder her.
I am almost alone now in the public gallery and I must seem distraught because one of the Victim Support volunteers comes up behind me. She obviously thinks I am crying because I am covering my face but she is wrong. I am filled with total and utter rage.
Outside on the concourse, I find Ray in a terrible state and surrounded by lots of people. He has to be physically restrained, as he wants only to get hold of Mr Kadri. Our two girls are trying hard to calm him down. John is wise enough to stay clear. Ray is trying to grab Ronnie’s walking stick.
What a terrible scenario before me and I am loath to interfere. I know my husband and his temper but I try to reason with him anyway, without success. He is almost out of control and, in desperation, Kerry runs back into the courtroom to ask that Mr Kadri is not allowed to come out by way of the concourse.
After a while, we see him being escorted out by the police and taken into a back room. He is kept there until we all leave the building and it’s just as well; I can’t be responsible for Ray’s actions this day. I am terrified, even as we go to pick up the car, in case we encounter Mr Kadri and his team on the street. More than anything, I don’t want to jeopardise the case at this late stage. I can, however, fully understand Ray’s reaction to what was said. Any father would feel the same under similar circumstances. I, as Rachel’s mother, feel no less furious. We have to keep telling ourselves that this is not personal, it is simply the job of the defence. He has to do and say whatever it takes to win his case.
It will be almost impossible for any of us to settle tonight after what we have had to sit through in court today. Perhaps we can be forgiven if we need a couple of drinks before we retire?