HIS HONOUR JUDGE BRUCE LAUGHLAND
THE TIMES
9th NOV , 1984
THE TIMES DIARY
Ponting's choice
Contrary to popular belief, I can reveal that the Old Bailey trial of Clive Ponting, the civil servant accused of leaking documents on the Belgrano affair, will not be the political bonanza once thought. In what my sources at the Bar hailed yesterday as a "clever piece of casting", Ponting's solicitors have retained QC Bruce Laughland to defend him in the case, opening on January 28. The retention of Laughland – neither a tub thumper nor a member of the radical bar - heralds a change in tactics for Ponting's lawyers, who, I understand, had at first considered briefing a QC with some experience in the "political" arena. For Laughland, a Recorder of the Crown Court, the trial will certainly be his most high-profile case and one of considerable constitutional importance. Until now, his work has been relatively run-of-the-mill - murders, insurance and planning cases. Polite and elegant, Laughland recently won the heart of a client who, despite the QC's valiant efforts, was jailed for armed robbery. Six months into his sentence at Dartmoor, the man sent a giant teddy bear for Laughland's son. So touched was Laughland, he dropped in to thank him - only to have more gifts for the child pressed on him.
No comments:
Post a Comment