22^nd February 2013

Hello again, it’s me, Peggy

In my 14^th blog, on 19^th February, I referred to solicitor Karen Reynolds of Alfred Sevier (Nelsons) Solicitors (who had represented me in the Worksop County Court on the Bassetlaw Case on 28^th July 1999) and who had agreed with both the judge and the Defendant’s solicitor for a 3-months adjournment as this would give her time to interview the witnesses in exchange for me withdrawing the Witness Summonses that I had filed into the Worksop County Court at a time when I had conduct over my own case.

Just before Ms Reynolds entered the courtroom my husband and I saw her switching on her sound recorder to allow her record the court hearing, so I was aware that she would have reference to her agreement in court when I wrote to Mr Richard Nelson, and the reason for mentioning it to him in my letter of complaint dated 22 October 1999. In the eighth paragraph of my letter I referred to her making a sound recording of the court hearing, which can be seen on the second page of my letter copied below.

The Worksop County Court case number was WS802466 and it had been put onto Multi-Track by District Judge Maw in Worksop but what struck me as strange at the onset was that His Honour Judge Inglis told me that I had been misinformed but that he was not at liberty to advise me. It turned out later that Nelsons had created another Claim Number on 1^st November 1999 which had misled me. However, I will fill you in on this when I get onto when Gosschalks Solicitors of Hull had conduct of my case, which was actually November 1999 but they had refused to represent me at this Lincoln Court Hearing in December 1999.

Anyway, when in the Lincoln County Court Hearing on 18 December 1999 I brought the matter up about Ms Reynolds and her wiring herself for sound in July 1999 when she had represented me in the Worksop County Court. The judge (His Hon Judge Inglis) looked very annoyed at what I’d said. He said “what, she wired herself up”? The judge pick-up all the case files and slung them down to the end of his desk (Bench), he then scooped-up all of his gear and put them into his briefcase, then turned and left the courtroom.

Nicola MacKay, the solicitor from Beachcroft Wansbroughs Solicitors in Sheffield, who had been acting for the Defendant before they lost their contract with the NHS for acting on NHS Clinical Negligence Litigation work, turned to me and said; “has he gone to make his judgment?” I said no you daft bat, he’s bloody gone home, and the Clerk went on to confirm it!

I had been surprised that the Judge had allowed Nicola Mackay to attend the hearing in any event because at on the onset of that hearing she had noted to the Judge that she was attending the hearing in an “Observer” capacity only.

It looks as if there is one rule for the lawyers and another for us commoners when it comes down to making sound recording of court hearings. It’s not much more than 12-months or so that an old gent was sent down for 3-months by a judge for making a sound recording of his court hearing. However, I note that this was not the case in Karen Reynolds case!

This story continues ……

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