Masefield Avenue: Episode 14,033

CHAPTER 3: COURTROOM

RT. HON JUDGE MICHAEL DUNSTABLE:
Ms. Bates, you are reminded that you are still under oath. You may proceed, Ms. Tate.

HELEN TATE:
Thank you, Your Honour. Ms. Bates, let's talk about the evening of August 9th, 1997. Where were you that night?

KATHY BATES:
I was with my fiancé, Mr Oliver Troughton. We had a chicken curry from a chinese shop on Morton Road. After picking it up, we went back to Number 5 Masefield Avenue, where we both live. Later that evening, Oliver and I... we had sex.

HELEN TATE:
And during the evening in question, did Oliver leave at any point?

KATHY BATES:
No, he didn't. We were together the whole time. We watched the Liverpool vs. Wimbledon match that night. Although I support my home team of Scarborough, I also have a soft spot for both Liverpool and Wimbledon. It was important for us to watch that match together.

HELEN TATE:
So, to clarify, from the time you both returned to your home on Masefield Avenue until the time you went to bed, Oliver was with you?

KATHY BATES:
Yes, that's correct.

HELEN TATE:
Ms. Bates, during that whole evening, did Oliver express any intent or plan to leave the house or do anything else that might have involved Mr. Rutherford?

KATHY BATES:
No, not at all. He was completely focused on the football match and telling me the stats like possession of the ball. He was spending the entire evening with me. There was no talk or action that indicated he was planning to leave to drive to Altrincham, let alone confront Mr. Rutherford.

HELEN TATE:
Members of the jury, you've heard it from Ms. Bates herself. Oliver Troughton was at home with his fiancée, engaged in normal activities that any couple might do on a quiet evening. There is no evidence to suggest he left her side to commit the crime he is accused of.

TONY LONDON:
Thank you, Your Honour. Ms. Bates, you mentioned that on the night of August 9th, 1997, you and Mr. Troughton watched the Liverpool vs. Wimbledon match together, correct?

KATHY BATES:
Yes, that's right.

TONY LONDON:
And you were quite specific about this being part of your evening, correct?

KATHY BATES:
Yes, it was important to us, especially to Oliver.

TONY LONDON:
Just to clarify for the jury, do you recall what time that match started?

KATHY BATES:
It was an afternoon match... I think around 3 o'clock.

TONY LONDON:
So, if the match started at 3 o'clock, it would have ended by around 5 o'clock, perhaps a little later with added time. Is that correct?

KATHY BATES:
Yes, that sounds right.

TONY LONDON:
You mentioned that after the match, you and Mr. Troughton went out to get a curry, then returned home and spent the rest of the evening together. What time would you say you went out for the curry?

KATHY BATES:
It was after the match... maybe around 6 or 7 o'clock.

TONY LONDON:
So, by the time you picked up the curry, ate, and then... had your intimate time together, what time would you estimate it was?

KATHY BATES:
It would have been later in the evening, perhaps 9 or 10 o'clock.

TONY LONDON:
Ms. Bates, you live in Carlisle, correct?

KATHY BATES:
Yes, i have done since my family had financial difficulties, i was staying in Altrincham so that i could go to university in Manchester, but when Mr Rutherford attacked me, i moved to Carlisle and have been there since 1994.

TONY LONDON:
And Mr. Rutherford lives in Altrincham, where he was born, which is, according to maps, approximately a 2.5 to 3-hour drive from Carlisle. Is that correct?

KATHY BATES:
I suppose so, I'm not a satnav, so I'd say yes.

TONY LONDON:
So, Ms. Bates, if the evening ended around 10 o'clock, isn't it possible that Mr. Troughton could have left your home and driven to Altrincham through the night? Arriving there by, say, 1 o'clock in the morning, he could have done anything at all, and you wouldn't have known none the wiser would you Ms. Bates.

KATHY BATES:
I know my partner. He's academic, and if he had a revenge plot, he'd have been more discreet rather than what you're accusing him of being a self-catering Rambo.

TONY LONDON:
You fail to see that the timeline shows it was possible, doesn't it, Ms. Bates? After all, you were asleep after your intimate time you admitted it yourself, and he could have slipped out. You can't say for definite certainty that he stayed with you the entire night, can you?

KATHY BATES:
I... I suppose I can't say for certain what happened after I fell asleep, but i know Oliver, and I know even when he's been under stress, i know he does the right thing all the time.

TONY LONDON:
He can't do everything right all the time can he, he isn't God i put it to you that Oliver Troughton had a vendetta against Justin Rutherford because he can't help not being in control of people.

KATHY BATES:
My Fiancé isn't a control freak. He is a beautiful sole, he is just like anyone in that jury he cares about people, unlike his dad Luther, who raped his mother, Julia, three separate times.

TONY LONDON
Mrs Bates, this isn't about Luther Troughton. This is about his offspring the same way we could talk about your sister, but she's not entirely pivotal to the case.

KATHY BATES:
I see, so a man who is a real estate agent and could have his career and livelihood ruined is imprisoned for 8 months for a crime he didn't do, while a perverted pub landlord is free to walk the streets.

JUDGE DUNSTABLE:
Mrs Bates, this isn't relevant to the case between the crown vs. Oliver Troughton.

KATHY BATES:
Oliver is a compassionate and empathetic individual, not like Justin, who has attacked multiple women to gain satisfaction. This could wreck his whole career, but like hell, you all care.

TONY LONDON:
Members of the jury, the evidence and timeline presented by the defence suggest a clear window of opportunity where Mr. Troughton could have made the journey to Altrincham, where the alleged crime took place. Members, i urge you to marry the facts together and urge you to convict him. No further questions, Your Honour.

JUDGE DUNSTABLE:
I'll adjourn this morning meeting for refreshments, and we'll continue at which time Mr Oliver Troughton will take the stand.

KATHY BATES:
Sorry.

OLIVER TROUGHTON:
Love you.