Crown Court

- Season 4

(1975)

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.

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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". This was distributed at a demonstration which involved violent clashes with the police. Miss Mannering insists the edition found at the demonstration was a fabrication planted by an agent provocateur. She and her colleagues and her supporters admit they are unhappy with what they see as police brutality but assert they deplore violence and would never advocate its use. Unusually Miss...

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Rosalind Fortescue was a resident until her death in an expensive care home where she developed a close relationship with her nurse Bridget Behan. Miss Behan told her she wanted to set up a care home of her own and Mrs. Fortescue paid her £10000 towards this end. However the care home was never established and the prosecution claim that Miss Behan deceived her resident and then spent the money on luxuries for herself. Miss Behan protests her innocence. Her case is that she always intended to use the money for the care home but was frustrated in her aim by Mrs. ...

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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. Webb is accused of paying £250 to Biddle to impersonate these dead voters with the aim of winning a victory over his business and political rival Laurence King. Webb denies the charge. He says Biddle is an unreliable witness who is lying. He paid Biddle the money for building a garden wall and suggests he is the victim of a ...

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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. The defence do not deny that Sammy killed Jack Murphy but allege that he was in effect under the mental control of his domineering brother with whom he has always a strong link - manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. A reluctant George is called to give evidence against his brother by the prosecution who assert that Sammy ...

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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. Dryden is involved in research using satellite technology to track down drug crops. The method of the alleged attempted murder is remarkable - a rifle guided by a TV monitor and operated by remote control miles away from the victim who was working on an offshore base at the time. Wolff was arrested at sea and whether both his yacht and the offshore base are within British territorial ...

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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. At the time there was a strike in the factory and the prosecution claim that Parker holds militant views and did this in order to avoid having to work on the shop-floor to replace the strikers as ordered by management. Parker's father was one of the strikers and Parker admits he sympathised with their action. However he says he would never have damaged equipment as this would have jeopardised his own ...

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In an unusual case the Crown Court has to decide whether Megwyn Spiteri is fit to stand trial on the charge of murdering her five year old twins David and Maria. The defence accept that the children died after Mrs. Spiteri gave them an overdose of dexedrines. However they assert that she was unable to cope with them - they were difficult and disturbed - and killed them while suffering from psychotic delusions that they were possessed by demons. Mrs. Spiteri says she believes the children are still alive and that she "saved them" and the defence argue this proves she ...

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Racehorse trainer Howard Summers and owner Francis Wetson are charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by doping their horse "Las Vegas Lad". The horse previously had a poor record but in a race meeting at Fulchester displayed unusual speed and was hard to control. The horse eventually threw its jockey Joe Green and broke its leg in a fall and had to be put down. The Prosecution claim the horse was transformed by performance-enhancing drugs but the defendants insist that its improvement was a result of legitimate medical treatment and improved training techniques.

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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. She insists her innocence. The Defence case is that Plowman was prone to violence and was in the process of attacking Miss Church - he was accidentally stabbed and killed when falling on the knife she was using to warn him away.

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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. The prosecution assert that the business was struggling and he wanted the insurance money; using his electrical knowledge he rigged up a way that a fire could be started remotely while he used his absence as an alibi. However Scott denies the offence. He says anyone with basic electrical knowledge could have devised this means of arson and he ...

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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. The Prosecution say he did this to enrich himself under the pretext of offering faith healing but he insists he is guilty of nothing other than poor financial management, using the funds only for legitimate spiritual care.

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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. While Hartley admits punching Knox - whom he claims had betrayed the travellers - he denies causing the more serious injuries for which he says the blame lies elsewhere.

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Bent coppers, dodgy people and murder. Classic 1970s courtroom drama.

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. She did this by firstly hiding her passport and then slamming shut a faulty toilet door, trapping her inside for enough time for her to miss her train to London. Burns denies these claims. She asserts that she had no part in hiding the passport or locking the toilet door. She states that Vandamm ...

Errol Hunt, a Guyanese immigrant to the UK, stands accused of stealing four cassette recorders from Ballards, a factory where he worked. The prosecution claim that Hunt, a qualified teacher, has radical, anti-capitalist views and saw stealing from his employer as perfectly acceptable. They argue that he had been a troublemaker from his arrival at the factory. Hunt does not deny that he stood up for workers' rights which he said was necessary given its aggressive management. However he denies theft and argues that the cassette recorders were planted in his car boot (...

18 year old Benjamin Merton killed himself shortly after taking part in a "marathon" psychological encounter group. The prosecution claim that he was pushed to suicide by the reckless management of this activity by psychotherapist Michael Lucas. They say he should have been aware that a person with Benjamin's fragile psychological state was quite unsuitable for such treatment. Lucas now finds himself on trial for manslaughter. However he and his defence team argue that his techniques were very successful and that Benjamin's suicide was a heavily influenced by his ...

Gynaecologist Dr. Hector Catty is charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm by performing an unnecessary caesarean operation on Deidre Thomson. His midwife Winifred Horton is charged with aiding and abetting him. Miss Thomson had originally consulted him seeking an abortion. He had rejected her request but recommended adoption to which she agreed at the time. She now says in court that she changed her mind. However the prosecution allege that he prevented a natural birth and carried out a caesarean section to prevent her from bonding with the ...

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 after eating poisoned liver. The prosecution argue that Miss Freebody poisoned the liver which she presumed was to be eaten by the Major: she is now on trial for attempted murder. She denies the offence and claims someone else had a rather bigger motive for killing him. Matters take a shocking turn late in the trial putting a very different ...

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. Dr. Thanet disputes the claims. He is unwilling to break patient confidentiality by revealing his treatment of Linda but insists that he would never prescribe the pill "on demand" and urged Linda to consult with her mother.

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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. Co-defendants Bella Janes, Margot Davitt and Patrick Mills have all admitted possession of the drug and other offences. They had befriended Downing who allowed them to stay at the house. Janes supports the prosecution case, even suggesting she and Downing smoked cannabis together. ...

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Actor Joseph Molloy faces two charges of attempting and acquiring money by deception. The prosecution argue that he impersonated TV producer Robert Randell in order to obtain money from two women. Molloy had appeared in Randell's show "Union Square" in minor roles. In both cases Molloy proclaims his innocence. He argues he is the victim of mistaken identity. His barrister also suggests that Randell has deliberately - and successfully - exploited the accusations in order to generate publicity for his show which had been struggling in the ratings.

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David Timmins, a 19 year old striker, was imprisoned after being convicted of assaulting a police officer at a demonstration. He felt he should be treated as a "political prisoner" and after being denied this status went on hunger strike. This led to him being force-fed by prison doctor James MacKenzie. Shortly after this being done for the second time Timmins died. MacKenzie now stands trial of causing manslaughter by gross negligence, the prosecution alleging that he incompetently carried out the procedure leading to damage to the stomach and death by asphyxiation. ...

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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. The prosecution assert that Mrs. Chadwick deliberately wounded him but she and her ...

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Building worker Peter Malloy stands accused of conspiracy to intimidate others into strike action, affray and planting a bomb and causing an explosion. The prosecution allege that he is a union extremist prepared to use violence to achieve his ends. Malloy denies all the charges. He admits he holds radical views but says he opposes violence. He argues he is the victim of fabricated charges orchestrated by a right-wing retired army officer and the Special Branch who are trying to discredit him and will use any means to do so.

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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. The prosecution contend that he was angry with Demmis who had earlier damaged his car; on seeing Demmis driving away he followed in his own car and set up a high-speed chase with the intention of running him off the road, oblivious to the likely loss of life. Watson denies the charge. He admits he was angry with Demmis over the damage but merely wanted to catch up with him. They also ...

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