Thu May 14, 2009 12:36 am
As a solicitor, I also dealt with a woman charged with murdering her husband. It was never a murder, but it was probably cuplable homicide. The jury retired at 10.30 a.m. and by 12ish, the word was that they would give their verdict immediately after lunch - Glasgow juries are renowned for ensuring they get fed and get paid their expenses into the afternoon.
I suspected that she'd either be acquitted or, if convicted of culp hom, would be released to be of good behaviour for a year, such were the tragic and unusual circumstances.
The press were desperate to speak to her and photograph her. She was equally desperate to avoid them. At lunchtime, I got my car - E30 325i at the time - early 90s - and parked it down a side street at the back entrance to the High Court - used only by officials and not open to the public.
The jury duly return at 2.15 prompt and she's convicted of culpable homicide and sentence is deferred for one year.
She gets out and I usher her through the corridors to the back door and out into the lane. The press of course are wise to this and, as they see us heading off, know where we are going. They set off running out the main entrance and have to run through the streets round to the back entrance. We are there, in seconds, it'll take them a minute or two.
"Come on, my car's parked round here. We'll be away before they get round" I say, opening the door, to see my car five feet in the air, being lifted onto a Glasgow City Council flatbed and whisked off to the pound just as the press and photographers arrive to great hilarity and much humiliation in the papers that night and the next morning.
