Two Thousand and Ten Ch. 04

Author's Note - Well dear readers, here it is - the next instalment of Two Thousand and Ten. Apologies if you have waited a long time for this as I have been busy with other projects, but hopefully you'll enjoy this new chapter. Please feel free to comment or send reviews (as long as they're positive!)

Disclaimer - I am not a legal professional, so apologies if the upcoming scenes are inaccurate procedure-wise. This is after all, meant as a fictional story, and I reserve the right to use 'artistic license' - so there! :P

All characters are over 18, any similarities to any person(s) or companies/organisations are coincidental and entirely unintentional.

On with the story! Enjoy!

TWO THOUSAND AND TEN

CHAPTER 4 - JULY & AUGUST

Friday, July 2nd 2010 - 8:37pm.

"Look, I know you're nervous about all this but fretting about it is only going to make matters worse." Lindi said levelly to Peter as he sat before her at her dining table.

"I know, but what if they throw the book at her? She could end up being thrown in jail and... and... maybe get beaten up by another inmate. I mean, I don't know if I could ever live with that on my conscience." Peter replied as he cut into the medium-rare grilled steak in blue cheese sauce that Lindi had lovingly prepared just minutes earlier.

"Beaten up by another inmate?" Lindi said as she tucked into her own steak, "Women's prisons aren't always like Prisoner Cell Block H you know! If anything they're pretty cushy compared to men's prisons - or so I've heard."

"Yeah, and men's prisons aren't always like fucking Porridge either!" Peter spat back angrily, referring to the old 1970's sitcom.

A brief silence ensued.

"Sorry Lin, that was... uncalled for. Forgive me." Peter said sheepishly and attempted to return to his dinner.

"No it wasn't. Something happened to you in prison didn't it?" Lindi speculated, "Peter, you know I know you better than anyone else knows you, and I can tell when something is eating you up inside. I just want you to know that when you're ready to talk about it, I'm ready to listen. Okay?"

Peter sighed.

"Nothing nasty happened to me inside." He said, "But something nasty very nearly did."

Lindi tried to hide the shocked expression on her face.

"What happened??" Lindi enquired.

"It... it's nothing okay!" Peter replied, and dug his fork into his steak.

"Peter, please tell me... I only want to help!" Lindi implored.

"You can help by shutting the fuck up!!" Peter retorted angrily, slamming his cutlery down and rising to his feet.

"Peter!!" Lindi cried as Peter stormed out of her flat, slamming the front door as he left.

"What's happened to you?" She asked to herself.

Saturday, July 3rd 2010 - 10:11am.

There was a knock at Lindi's front door, it could only have been Peter. The flats where they lived had an entryphone system so the only people who knocked on the front doors of the individual apartments were other residents of the building. And the only resident that ever came to visit her was her friend from upstairs.

Sure enough, as she opened the door, a very sheepish looking Peter stood before her, clutching a bouquet of flowers.

"I'm really sorry Lin." Peter said contritely, "I was out of order last night. It's just... all this business with Stevie's trial and all... it's just starting to get on top of me a bit."

"A bit?!?" Lindi replied, "It sounded like more than just 'a bit' last night."

"I know... I know. Which is why I'm really sorry."

"You'd better come in."

Lindi took the bunch of flowers - a freshly fragrant spray of white roses and pink carnations that Peter knew were her favourites - and headed for her kitchen to put them in a vase. She returned to her living room a few moments later to find Peter nervously pacing up and down the room.

"So then. Are we going to have a reasonable conversation about what nearly happened to you in prison Peter?" Lindi said as she placed the vase of flowers on her coffee table.

Peter said nothing, continuing to pace up and down and biting his nails nervously.

"Please Peter! I really do only want to help." Lindi implored, "Whatever it is that's eating you it's obviously painful for you. Remember when we were 18? We said that no matter what happened we would always listen to each other. I want to listen to you Peter - just talking about it will make you feel better, I can guarantee it."

Peter sighed resignedly and ceased his pacing. He knew when she was right about something.

He sighed heavily and sat down in an armchair.

"It was... it was horrible Lin." He said eventually.

"What was horrible?" Lindi prompted, taking a seat herself on her settee.

"Not long before I was released there was an... incident." Peter began, "I know it sounds like the ultimate prison cliche and all, but that whole 'don't drop the soap in the showers' thing is alarmingly close to the truth - or at least it was for me. There was this other inmate you see, his name was Jenks. He'd been giving me unsettling looks in the showers for days - you know those 'mmm... mmm... I'd just love to get to know that nice squishy butt of yours a little better' kind of look. Well, that was the look he gave me.

"Then, one afternoon in the queue for lunch he was stood behind me and he... he put his hand... down inside my... inside my pants and he... he... groped my bum like some kind of lecherous drunkard in a terrible 1970's comedy film."

"Oh Peter!" Lindi gasped, "He didn't... you know..."

"Rape me?" Peter replied as he fought back his tears stoically, "No. But... he was going to."

"Going to?" Lindi asked.

"Well, one of the prison officers saw what he was doing and told him in no uncertain terms to leave me alone. Once his back was turned however, Jenks whispered 'tomorrow sweetheart, tomorrow you're gonna feel me inside you! And you're gonna fucking love it and take what I give you otherwise you'll be feeling something a damned sight sharper inside you than my dick. Understand, pretty boy?' I know, not exactly subtle was it?"

"Oh my God Peter!" Lindi gasped in disbelief.

"It was just lucky that he never got the chance to carry out his threat." Peter said, fighting a losing battle with his tears, "The next morning I found out I was being released."

"Oh Peter!" Lindi sighed. She got to her feet, stooped down and took her friend in a warm hug. He felt his whole body heaving as he sobbed in her arms. "You poor thing."

Saturday, July 3rd 2010 - 10:35am.

"Feeling better now?" Lindi speculated now that Peter had had a chance to calm his nerves with a glass of brandy and a handkerchief to wipe his tears.

"I'm sorry Linds... what you must think of me, a grown man in floods of tears." Peter replied.

"Oh Peter." Lindi sighed, "It doesn't make me think any less of you. In fact, it makes me think even more of you. You men are terrible at dealing with your emotions sometimes - you bottle it up when you should be letting it out, and then when you do let it out you start apologising for not being 'man enough' for succumbing to them. Trust me on this: a woman thinks a lot more of a man who is in touch with his emotions and isn't afraid to show them than a man who tries to put up a false wall of macho stoicism. Well, up to a point anyway!"

"You were right Linds." Peter admitted, "Talking about it has made me feel better."

"I'm glad to hear it." She answered, "So I accept your apology."

"I can't believe how much of a dick I was last night, I should never have sworn at you like that."

"Look, it's okay... you were under a lot of stress what with the trial coming up on Monday."

"I know, but it still doesn't excuse what I said to you."

"No, but it does explain it, and that's enough for me." Lindi answered.

"Did you... did you get a summons?" Peter asked.

"Mrs Eversley warned me they might call me... and sure enough, a brown envelope containing a summons to appear as a witness in the case of The Crown vs Miss Stephanie Williams landed in my letterbox last Friday." Lindi replied.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Look, I could tell you were getting stressed about it so I didn't want to worry you, okay? I've booked a room for the night up in Nottingham and Clive's coming along for moral support. You just concentrate on what you have to do okay, and let me worry about what I have to do. Either way we'll both be there for each other in the end. And whatever happens afterward we'll deal with it together, understand?"

"Okay." Peter sighed.

Monday, July 5th 2010 - 9:22 am

Peter started up his car as soon as Lindi got into the passenger seat alongside him. It was the day of Stevie Williams' trial - a day Peter had been dreading since he had first found out that the young woman who had falsely accused him of raping her had been charged with perverting the course of justice. Everyone in his inner circle he had spoken to about it had told him pretty much the same thing: he should be glad his lying accuser would stand before a judge and jury and that justice would be done. But Peter, to his closest friends' utter bewilderment, still felt he didn't want the girl to be punished as he felt that a prison sentence might ruin her chance of a decent career, simply because she had done something stupid.

The fact was her so-called friends virtually railroaded her into reporting him to the police; she was just stupid enough to have gone through with it rather than risk her friends calling her a slut. To Peter, the real culprit was the Crown Prosecution Service allowing the whole sorry incident to progress to a full trial. It was only lucky that Lindi managed to track Stevie Williams down and extract a confession from her; the charges of rape and actual bodily harm went away the very next day. He was sure the girl had learned her lesson. The trouble was, the police didn't see it that way, and they had charged her with perverting the course of justice. Ironically, it was the very same Crown Prosecution Service that was now taking Stevie Williams to court.

"You ready?" Lindi asked as she took Peter's hand and gave it a friendly squeeze.

"I guess." Peter replied, "I know it should be Stevie who should be the nervous one, but I just can't help it."

"It'll all be fine. You shouldn't let yourself get so worked up." Lindi said as she put on her seatbelt, "Look, realistically it's a first offence - the worst that can happen to her is six months in jail, but since it's a first offence she'll most likely get a suspended sentence, so she won't go to jail and won't have her precious career ruined."

"I know I should be feeling so logical about it." Peter retorted, "But I can't help it. I don't want to be a part of something that might ruin her life."

"SHE is the one responsible for ruining her own life!" Lindi scoffed, "And you're not the one bringing the prosecution; the police and the CPS are. All you can do is heed your summons, and tell the truth. Her life and her career are in the judge's hands, not yours."

"Where would I be without your Vulcan-esque logic Lindi?" Peter mused as he pulled out into the road.

Monday, July 5th 2010 - 1:07pm

After stopping in Swanborough to pick up Clive, the three of them arrived at Nottingham Crown Court. The trial wasn't scheduled to begin until 2 o'clock so they decided to take lunch in a nearby pub.

"I thought I'd seen the back of this damned place." Peter muttered as he sipped his glass of mineral water after having ordered a steak and ale pie for lunch, "Hopefully after today I shall never have to visit Nottingham again. I mean, don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against the city itself, it's just that what happened to me here is something I'd like to forget about!"

"I can sympathise with you there, mate." Clive said as he set down his pint of lager, "When I got divorced from my wife and had to go through the family court In Bristol - because that's where the bitch had run off to once she left me for her toy-boy - in order to get access to my daughter, I vowed it'd be a cold day in hell before I'd set foot in the place again. Lo and behold, the following week I had to meet a supplier there to discuss a contract for supplying my business with developing fluid. It's basic Sod's law isn't it!"

"Look, once today is over and done with you may never have to come here again." Lindi said.

"I hope you're right." Peter replied, knowing he was giving Lindi a chance to air her favourite little witty rejoinder.

"I'm a woman - I'm always right, remember?!" She said with a wry smile.

Monday, July 5th 2010 - 2:04pm

Peter, Lindi and Clive had taken their seats in the public gallery of Court no. 3 of Nottingham Crown Court. Below them, the courtroom itself consisted of the witness box to their right and the jury bench to their left. Opposite them faced the judge's chair of sumptuous red leather set below a large gold leaf and vibrantly painted plaster relief of the Royal coat of arms with its familiar inscription 'Dieu et mon droit'. Located in front of and below the public gallery stood the dock where the accused Stevie Williams would soon be seated, either side of which where the separate benches for the defence counsel and the prosecution.

Peter caught the eye of the prosecuting QC Mrs Eversley, whom he met with a couple of weeks earlier. With a professional manner she acknowledged him with a simple nod of the head and a brief smile before returning her attention to setting out her notes and all her papers before her - one of which was the Victim Impact Statement he had dictated and which she would read out as part of the prosecution's case. The defending QC also busied himself setting out all his paperwork. The members of the jury, which consisted of five men and seven women, had already taken their place.

Peter felt a distinct lump in his throat as he saw Stevie being led into the dock by the court usher and a female police constable - it was the first time he had set eyes on her since that fateful night in his hotel room. The last time he saw her she was naked in his bed after they had just had sex together, an incident that had such unforeseen and far-reaching ramifications and had led to this whole sorry debacle. She was dressed smartly in a light grey suit consisting of a tailored jacket, a straight skirt and a light turquoise silk blouse. Her blonde hair was worn up in a business-like style and her only jewellery was a pair of simple gold ear studs. Despite her confident attire she looked terrified as she took her seat in the dock, taking a brief moment to seek out the comforting presence of her parents who had sat at the other end of the public gallery from where Peter was sitting.

All of a sudden the clerk of the court entered the room dressed in the traditional courtroom attire of a black tailcoat, a white shirt with a starched white cravat and short white horsehair wig.

"The court will rise." He announced.

Everyone in the room rose to their feet as a door opened beside the judge's position and the judge, a kindly-looking man in his mid 60's entered and took his seat. He wore the centuries-old traditional garb of a member of Her Majesty's Court of Justice, including the traditional long white horsehair wig that was supposedly meant to disguise the identity of the judge in historical times but was now merely an affectation of office. As soon as the trial judge sat down in his seat the rest of the court returned to their seats. There followed a brief pause while the judge took a few moments to set out his own paperwork on the table before him.

"This court is now in session, in the case of Regina versus Miss Stefanie Anne Williams. His honour, Judge Johnathan Richards presiding." The clerk announced.

"Will the accused please stand." Judge Richards said officiously.

Stevie nervously stood in the dock.

"Miss Williams, you are here before this court charged with perverting the course of justice. On Monday the 12th of April of this year you made an allegation of rape and actual bodily harm against a Mr Peter Adrian Swanmore of Westborough-on-sea, East Sussex. It was later determined that your allegations against Mr Swanmore were unfounded and of a malicious nature, and that you had wasted police time. How do you plead?"

This was it - if Stevie had any sense she'd simply plead guilty and most likely receive a suspended sentence. However...

"Not guilty." Stevie replied after a moment.

Peter groaned inwardly.

"Stupid girl." He muttered under his breath.

Now this would become a full-on trial with witnesses and cross-examinations and the whole sordid details of that fateful encounter would be dragged out and examined in close detail. And he would certainly be called to testify, and be cross-examined in the witness box.

He looked down at Mrs Eversley as though he might receive some form of guidance from the prosecuting QC, but all she did was to shuffle around some papers as though she had anticipated this turn of events all along. It was going to be a very long afternoon.

Monday, July 5th 2010 - 2:25pm

After the jury had been formally sworn in the trial began in earnest. Mrs Eversley QC - dressed in her own black and white court dress with white horsehair wig - took to her feet and proceeded to set out the prosecution's case against her. The main points of the Crown's case was that by reporting Peter to the police for committing an act of rape upon her - an allegation that she knew was false since she had consented and indeed had willed Peter to be rough with her - she had committed the crime of perverting the course of justice by wasting police time and resources in pursuing a case she knew to be a complete and utter falsehood.

She presented the evidence that Peter's lawyer Mr Acheson had gathered which comprehensively debunked the young woman's allegation and the police's case against Peter, the very centrepiece of which was the audio recording Lindi had made in which Stevie admitted that Peter had not raped her.

"If it pleases your honour, we have a victim impact statement from Ms William's alleged victim." Mrs Eversley said to the presiding judge.

"Very well." Judge Richards replied.

"In April of this year I met an attractive young lady, Ms Williams, in a busy city centre pub in Nottingham." Mrs Eversley began reading from Peter's statement, "She appeared to be having trouble getting the attention of the barman and so I offered to help. After I finally managed to get the barman to serve her, she offered to buy me a drink by way of thanks. Without going into too much detail, we ended up spending the rest of the evening together until closing time. I offered to take her to a club but, after pointing out that I wasn't exactly dressed for clubbing, she suggested we go back to my hotel. We ended up showering together and eventually we ended up having sex. I awoke the following morning to discover that she had left during the night - I had no contact details for her so I could not call to see if she was okay. I hoped that she might at least take the time to contact me at my hotel before I had to return home, but instead of a phone call I received a visit from two police officers who had come to arrest me for apparently raping Ms Williams. What followed was the single most horrifying and traumatising experience I had ever been through. I was strip searched at the police station, put through a physical examination during which photographs were taken of my genitalia and swabs taken from my penis, subjected to interrogation by the police who then charged me with rape and actual bodily harm, sent before a magistrate who believed everything the police alleged and was sent on remand to Nottingham Prison where I spent the most soul-destroying few weeks of my entire life and was even at one point threatened with rape myself by another inmate. The allegations brought against me by Ms Williams drove a nail right through my heart, nearly destroyed my life and my career and have left me wondering if I can ever trust a woman again. Despite my exoneration of the crime for which I was accused, the allegation of rape will hang over me for the rest of my life like a dark shadow from which I can never come out from. However, I would like it to be known that despite Ms William's actions I do not wish to see her life ruined because of nothing more than her own stupidity. I recognise that I have every right to demand the very harshest justice for what she did to me, even though the crime she stands accused of is a crime against the state rather than me personally, but I would ask this court to show leniency towards her as despite everything, she is simply a misguided young woman who made a mistake. I only ask of her that she thinks twice before making such an allegation in future."