#13555 - Examination In Chief O'grady - BPC Criminal Advocacy

EXAMINATION IN CHIEF
REAL ASSESSMENT

MILDRED O’ GRADY

• Can you state your full name to the court please?
  (Mildred O’Grady)

• And you live at Lanchester. Is that right?

• How long have you lived at your current address?

• Who do you live with?
  (Alone)

• Mrs O’Grady if I could ask you to speak loud and clear and direct your answers to the jury.
  If there is anything you don’t understand don’t hesitate in telling me.

• How is your eyesight?
  (wear spectacles)
  - Do you wear glasses?

• How often do you wear them?

• Is it right that you live in a bungalow?

• Mrs, O’Grady, what activities do you do, since moving to your current home?
  - What do you do in your free time?
  - What weekly meetings do you have?
  - Where do you go every Friday?
  (Local book club)

• What do you do with as a club member?
  (We meet)

• Wen do you meet with the other members?
  (Every Friday)

• And where do you meet?
  (Lanchester Village Hall)

• How long do you stay at Lanchester North Village Hall?

• And during that time, what do you do?
  - Is meeting with the other members all you do?
  - where do you go after the meeting?
  (combine activity with buying bread from the artisan bakers and flowers from the market)

• What do you do at the market?
  (buy flowers)

• —— Where do you buy the flowers from?
  (local market)
  
  
  
  P’s:

• Are you aware of the scheme…

• How did you find out about it

• What happened on Tuesday, the 9th of September?
  (I had a visit from the Council)

• How did you feel about the visit?
  - What were your thoughts at the time?
  - Were you aware of the reason the Council visited your house?
  (I was not surprised)

• Why is that?
  (I remember seeing posters advertising the fact that the local council had started an initiative to have all the heating provision checked to ensure that all was in working order and that there was sufficient heating)
  
  - if NOT, how did you find out about it?
  
  - - - - What did the posters say?

• And what was the form of the posters?
  (laminated copies)

• Where have you seen the posters?
  (lamp posts, around market stalls too)

• What were your thoughts on that initiative by the local council?
  (grand idea)

• Why did you think that (Why did you think it was a grand idea)?
  (all people in my book club thought it was a grand idea, high number of deaths of the elderly in Lanchester)

• How did that make you feel?

• How did other people feel about this initiative?
  (all people in my book club … talk of the village).
  
  —— (How did the initiative first come do your attention)??
  ——- (Was that the only way you were informed about the initiative?)

• So you said earlier that on the 9th of September , the council visited your house.
  Who visited your house on behalf of the council?
  (Emma)

• And how did you know her name was Emma?
  (she introduced herself)

• What did she do after she introduced herself?
  (showed me a photo ID card and explained why she was visiting me).

• May the witness be shown exhibit EH/1 - the ID card
  
  Mrs O’Grady can you confirm that that is the ID card you were shown?
  
  With your Honour’s leave perhaps that could be exhibit 1.

• What happened after she explained why she was visiting you?
  (She came in and we talked)

• What did you talk about?
  (number of radiators, how many rooms and whether I lived alone)

• Was that the end of the matter?
  (No)
  - What happened next?
  (she asked me to accompany her around the bungalow to show her the heaters that I had and where my boiler was)

• And what happened after you accompanied her?
  (she filed in a lengthy form and sat in sitting room to complete it)

• And what was your response?
  (I signed it and she left me a copy)

• Was that the end of the matter?
  (yes)

• What time did she leave?
  (4.30)

• How long did she stay there?
  (45 mins)

• How did she seem to you?
  (very well spoken and kind)

• Was there anything said before she left?
  (Yes)

• What was that?
  (she told me that I might have another visit in due course if there were any deficiencies)

• Did you receive another visit?

• When was that visit?
  (Monday the 15th of September)

• At what time was your visit?
  (4.40pm)

• Who was at the door?
  (A gentleman knocked on my door and said he was from the council too)

• Were you able to recognise this man?
  - Have you seen this man before?

• Did you have a clear view of the man?

• What was the lighting at the door?

• Where you wearing your glasses?

• What was he wearing?
  (suit)

• What was his height?
  (5 10 tall)

• What was his hair colour?
  (grey)

• And what his hair style?
  (slicked back)

• Please describe that man
  (With a small moustache. He had very calloused hands and short bitten nails)
  - was there anything that caught your attention about him?

• How old did he seem to you?
  (50 years old)

• What did he do when you answered the door?
  (showed me a card like the one Emma showed me)

• Please describe the card.
  (like the one Emma showed me, did not look at it properly).

• Why did you not look at it properly? / How did he show you the card?
  (quickly)

• Please demonstrate to the jury how he showed you the card.

• How long have you had the opportunity to look at the card?

• What were your thoughts at that time?
  (not surprised, but it did cross my mind that it was very quick.

• What did the man do after he showed you the card?
  (introduced himself as Eddie and said he was supervising the visits by younger members of staff)

• What was your response to that?
  (I let him in)

• How did you get along with him?
  (talked for quite a long time)

• What did you talk about?
  (my husband and my granddaughter’s wedding)

• What did you talk about regarding your granddaughter’s wedding? (say)
  (told him I was going to give her my engagement ring and some money for the wedding)

• Was that the end of your conversation?

• What was said after you talked about your granddaughter’s wedding?
  (talked about old folk getting cold)

• What did the man say about that?
  (a lot of old people died in their sleep from the cold)
  (he also mentioned that they hide things under the bed)

• What were your thoughts at that point?
  (I thought he just knew this from doing lots of visits to the elderly)

• What happened after you finished talking?
  (asked if he could use the toilet)

• And what was your response to that?
  (I said he could)

• Where is the bathroom situated?
  (on the ground floor)

• Where were you while that man went to the toilet?
  (I was in my kitchen)

• How far is the bathroom from the kitchen?

• What were you doing in your kitchen?
  (washed up the cups)

• Did the man use the toilet?

• How do you know that?
  (remember hearing the toilet flush)

• What happened after the man used the toilet?
  (he came in and said he was grateful for the drink and needed to be going)

• How long was the man absent?
  (can’t recall)

• Did he do anything before he left?
  - Did he leave you with anything?
  (he did not fill in any paperwork)

• What was your reaction after he left?
  (I went to get a cardigan from my bedroom)
  - Where from

• Where is your bedroom situated?

• Did you manage to get the cardigan?

• Why not? / what happened after you got it?
  (I noticed that the drawer to my bedside table was open slightly)

• What as your reaction?
  (I looked inside to check)

• What was supposed to be inside?
  (ENVELOPE)

• Please describe the envelope
  (small window where the address would show, from the bank in the drawer)

• When have you been to the bank?
  (4th September)

• What did you do at the bank?
  (3,000)

• What form...