Just Another Day Read Online Free PDF Page A

try and break my fall and I was momentarily stunned and lying in the road way face down. I let go of the box in an instinctive manner as my hands came down in front of me but the box didn’t travel very far, only about two feet away as it was still chained to my left wrist.’
    ‘ I know how difficult this is for you Mr D, but please go on, would you like a glass of water?’
    ‘ No sir, sorry. I’m ok. I turned over onto my back and was about to try and get up when I saw him towering above me. He had a black leather bomber type jacket on, dark coloured jeans; I remember they had a rip in the left knee, and he was wearing a black woolly balaclava over his head. He stood on my left hand, which was chained to the box, to prevent me from moving it and he knelt down beside me.’
    ‘ Excuse me, Mr D, but I must just stop you there. It is my understanding of the situation that you clearly identified the defendant at the police station a few weeks after the incident, is that correct?’
    ‘ Yes sir, that’s correct.’
    ‘ Well forgive me for being pedantic here,’ as Jameson turned to face the jury once again, ‘but, if the defendant was wearing a face mask, how on earth could you have identified him?’
    ‘ But that’s just it sir, when he knelt down beside me he leaned near to my face and took off the face mask and began to laugh. He wanted me to see his face that’s for sure. I think he wanted to make sure that I could see the wildness in his eyes. He said to me, “I hope you’ve got the key for your fucking bracelet mate.” I was stammering and stuttering and shouting all at the same time, it’s in me pocket, me right hand pocket. I reached into my pocket and brought out the key which was also on a small thin chain and handed it to him.’
    ‘I’ m sorry to put you through this Mr D, but, could you just tell the jury what happened next.’
    ‘ He took the key and chain, dangled it in front of me and dropped it on the floor and stamped on it with the heel of his foot, trying to grind it into the ground. His saliva peppered my face as he spat out the words to me, “Couldn’t be bothered fuckin about with keys,” and I saw his right arm rise above his shoulder and come crashing down to the ground. I screamed in pain as he stood up and I could see that he was holding the money case above my head and attached to the case was my left hand and wrist. He was laughing as he stood and began swinging the bracelet, with my hand still attached.
    It all seemed to happen in slow motion, me looking down at my arm spurting blood, and him swinging my hand around above his head like a skipping rope. Suddenly, my hand flew out of the bracelet, slammed against the van, and fell to the floor with my blood splattering everywhere as it fell. He looked down at me once more and said in the most chilling voice and manner, “Now me old matey, that was handy wasn’t it.” I will never forget those words or the way that he said them. I wake up sweating at night; he was speaking in the way that you hear old pirates speak in the movies. He enjoyed what he did to me. He is a monster who enjoys inflicting pain on others. He’s like a rabid dog. He should be put down.”
     
    ‘So, just to be absolutely clear on this matter Mr. D, Had he so wished, the defendant could have retrieved the cash box without any injury to you. You were not resisting him in any way, in fact, you had freely offered him the cash box key which would have enabled him to simply unlock your bracelet and make off with the cash without further ado. Is that correct?’
    ‘ Absolutely right Mr. Jameson. We are under instructions not to offer resistance to any form of violence, not just for our own safety, but also that of any other staff or members of the public who could get injured if we resisted, we are told quite clearly that under no circumstances are we to try any heroics.’
    ‘ Quite so, quite so Mr D, thank you for your attendance here today in what is