Chapter 18

Having picked up Nell, Steven and Becca arrived at the court in good time. Theirs was not the first case so they had to wait for some while. Becca was apprehensive that they might meet with Doug and Drew beforehand but they were led away by a court official.

"I'll come and take you to your seats when the case comes up," she said.

"Is it all right if my friend stays with us?" Becca asked. "She's come to hold my hand."

"I'll make a special exception," smiled the official.

Becca smiled back.

At length they were shepherded into the court and shown their seats. The official pointed out the witness box and how to get to it. Inspector Roger Hollis came over to them.

"Hello, Nell," he said. "Nice to see you. Here to give moral support, are you?"

"Hello, Inspector. Yes but also to see what happens before I have to come to court myself."

"Good idea."

He turned to Becca and Steven and introduced himself. He explained that he was representing the police as prosecution and what they would have to do. He then left them again.

There were three magistrates, two women and a man.

Doug was led in by a security officer who stayed beside him throughout. Nell gasped.

"What?" asked Becca in a whisper.

"He was one of my clients at the brothel."

"Tell the inspector afterwards."

Nell nodded vigorously.

One of the two women magistrates opened the proceedings.

"Douglas Allardyce you are charged with abduction. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty, ma'am."

"You are also charged with indecent assault. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty, ma'am."

"Finally you are charged with inflicting actual bodily harm. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty, ma'am."

"Very well. Inspector."

"Good morning, ma'am. Inspector Hollis."

"Good morning, Mr Hollis. Please proceed."

Roger Hollis outlined the case against Doug and then called Becca as first witness. She was trembling with nerves and she took the oath in little more than a whisper. Roger smiled encouragingly at her.

"Good morning again, Miss Hardacre. When did you first meet the defendant?"

"Three weeks ago last Friday."

"At a dancing class?"

"Yes."

"Did you speak?"

"Yes. He asked me to dance and I refused in favour of someone else."

"Did you have a particular reason for doing that?"

"Not really but I thought the other boy looked rather shy so I chose to dance with him."

"Did you have any more contact with the accused that evening?"

"Only for a moment at the end of the class when he and his friend came up to me again. I invited them to come and meet my uncle who was going to drive me home but they didn't want to and moved away."

"When did you next meet him?"

"The following week when he asked me to dance again."

"And did you?"

"Yes."

"How did that go?"

"Not very well."

"Oh, why not?"

"He held me much too close and then when we stopped for instruction he put his hand on my hip and stroked it. I gently pushed his hand away but at the next break he did the same thing so I told him I didn't want to dance with him any more."

"Did you speak to him again that evening?"

"No."

"Did you speak again at dancing class the following week?"

"Not to him but to his friend, Drew, to say that I was going to dance with Tom again."

"Did you see him again before the next dancing class?"

"Yes at the coffee shop the following morning. He came up to the table Tom and I were at and started to be rude and I told him to go away but he wouldn't. Tom got very angry and I thought there was going to be a fight but a man intervened and that was that."

"What did he say that was rude?"

"He called me Miss Prissy Pants and Tom a carrot because he's got red hair."

"That's hardly a cause for a fight."

"No but he said something else which I didn't think was all that bad but it made Tom very angry."

"What was that?"

"That Miss Prissy Pants would prefer a carrot to a real man."

Roger had to look down at his notes to hide a smile.

"So now we come to the evening of the alleged incident after dancing class. Presumably you danced with Tom."

"No. He wasn't there."

"Why not?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Who did you dance with?"

"A lady."

"Did either Doug or Drew ask you to dance?"

"No."

"So tell court what happened."

"Well, after the dance Uncle Steven wasn't there so I thought he might have gone to the Gents so I waited in the foyer for a few minutes and then decided that he must have gone to the car. I'd hardly got out of the door when my arms here grabbed and a hand put over my mouth to stop me screaming. I struggled but they were too strong and pushed me into the back of a car. Drew held me down and Doug said he was going to teach me a lesson. He grabbed my breast and squeezed it really hard. Then he tore my blouse and ripped off my bra. He started squeezing my breast again and then he began pulling and twisting the nipple. Suddenly there was a flash and both boys were pulled off me and Uncle Steven was there."

"Thank you, Miss Hardacre." He turned to the bench. "There are two photographs, ma'am," he said. "Exhibit A is of the accused and his accomplice molesting Miss Hardacre in the car. Exhibit B is a photograph taken of Miss Hardacre's bruising." He handed them to the clerk who passed them to the bench where they were studied.