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- Humour in Court
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-
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- Q..Did you ever sleep with this man in London?
- A..I refuse to answer that question.
- Q..Did you ever sleep with this man in Leeds?
- A..I refuse to answer that question.
- Q..Did you ever sleep with this man in Liverpool?
- A..No.
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- AS ONE WHO SPENDS A LOT OF TIME IN COURT (ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW, I
- HASTEN TO ADD!) I CAN CONFIRM THAT SOME HILARIOUSLY FUNNY THINGS CAN HAPPEN
- THERE FROM TIME TO TIME.
- THE FUNNIEST ONE I REMEMBER WAS AT OAKHAM (RUTLAND) MAGISTRATES COURT IN
- 1967. WE HAD A VERY NERVOUS WITNESS GIVING EVIDENCE. HE WAS
- PRACTICALLY INCOHERENT WITH FRIGHT AND THE PROSECUTING OFFICER COULD NOT GET
- ANY SENSE OUT OF HIM AT ALL. IN THE END, IN DESPERATION, HE WAS INVITED TO
- TELL THE MAGISTRATES IN HIS OWN WORDS, EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
- "WELL, YOUR MAJESTIES - ", HE BEGAN.....
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- Prosecutor:- Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
- Doctor:- ALL my autopsies have been on dead people.
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- A COLLEAGUE OF MINE TELLS THE STORY OF A CERTAIN DEFENDANT FROM ONE OF
- OUR CARIBBEAN COLONIES WHO REFUSED TO RECOGNISE THE JURISDICTION OF THE COURT
- AND SAT THROUGH THE WHOLE TRIAL SLUMPED ON HIS SEAT IN THE DOCK, WITH ONLY HIS
- FEET VISIBLE ON THE DOCK RAIL.
-
- AT THE END OF THE TRIAL, THE JURY HAVING FOUND HIM GUILTY, THE JUDGE SAID,
- POINTING AT THE DOCK, "I SENTENCE THAT FOOT TO TWO YEARS' IMPRISONMENT -
- AND IF THERE IS A BODY ATTACHED TO IT, THAT CAN GO TO PRISON AS WELL!"
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- Magistrate: Are you normally aggressive, Mr.Jones?
- Prisoner: No, yer 'onour!
- Magistrate: If I called you "truculant" what would you do?
- Prisoner: Don't know. Smash yer face in, most likely.
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- Magistrate: Are you deaf, Mr.Smith?
- Prisoner: No Sir.
- Magistrate: Then why didn't you hear the car's horn ?
- Prisoner: I had my mother-in-Law in the car, so I'd turned my deaf-
- aid off.
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- Magistrate: You will pay the claimant †10 compensation.
- Defendant: Pardon!
- Magistrate: (Loudly) You will pay †10 compensation.
- Defendant: Can't hear you sir....the noise next door is too loud.
- Plaintiff: Nonsense, I can hear the magistrate quite well.
- Defendant: Then you pay him the †10!
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-
- 73, May you never live to see your wife a Widow
-
- *** EOF
-