The Truth We Chase

by Carl Richards

  My chest is tight, I force my shoulders back and my sternum produces a loud crack. I relax my shoulders again and bring my hands together so they are resting in front of me, interlocking my fingers I bring my hands together, my palms are sweating. I separate my hands again and wipe them on my trouser thigh, I take one more look around the Court before turning my gaze back on the Coat of Arms.

  The Prosecution Barrister stands to outline the case against me.

  ‘The Crown will show that in April last year the Defendant Joseph J Ryebank murdered Jill Breathnach. Ms Breathnach who he had known since birth, a lifelong friend, although, a friend he claims he hadn’t seen in the last seventeen years. The murder took place in a remote valley just outside the Spa Town of Buxton in Derbyshire during his visit to England from his current residence in New Jersey in the United States of America.

  Ms Breathnach died from a single stab wound made by a seven-and-a-half-inch fixed blade hunting knife. She was stabbed in the front left of her neck in the anterior triangle with such force that the damage inflicted caused almost instantaneous death.’

  I look to the Jury as they flick through the laminated pictures of the murder scene, Jill’s blooded lifeless body laid out at the side of the entrance doorway to the ruinous hall, a close-up of the knife and a picture of me lying in a stream at the bottom of a steep-sided ravine being worked on by paramedics whilst waiting for mountain rescue to assist in removing my unconscious body. By my left hand is the hunting knife used in the murder. It had been released from my grip by the attending medical staff and it now lies in the shallow water on a bed of pebbles washed clean of blood by the cold clear water of the stream, it looks brand new.

  The Prosecution Barrister continues.

  ‘Over the next couple of weeks we will look at the full circumstance and evidence through this trial, but it is the Crowns case that the defendant, Mr Ryebank, is the person and the only person who was present at the time and therefore the only person who could have feasibly inflicted the fatal injury to Ms Breathnach in a coldblooded, premediated, act of violence. Mr Ryebank, has, through his solicitor given the Police a pre-prepared statement which we will look at in more detail later. In the meantime, our case against Mr Ryebank will focus on his inability to tell the truth and his Machiavellian split personality. A split personality which, if everything is going his way, can make him the most perfect person alive. But upset him and he becomes uncontrollably angry, aggressive and may I suggest, that in an agitated state he is more than capable of violence.

  A crucial part of this trial will be the opening testimonies from the first two people to come into contact with Mr Ryebank when he arrived back in Greater Manchester. First, we will hear from Mrs Amanda Whixall from the hotel where Mr Ryebank was staying and then we will hear from Lisa Pussett, Mr Ryebank’s ex-girlfriend.

  The prosecution case will also prove the reason for this brutal murder, being that Mr Ryebank’s actions were borne out of jealousy and frustration that he had lost out in a disintegrating love triangle. The evidence that the prosecution will present to you will be in a very ordered timeline of events in the days leading up to Ms Breathnach’s untimely death. We will also call personal and character witnesses to give you a full picture of the relationship between Ms Breathnach, her partner Mr Alex Grinshill, and the defendant, Mr Ryebank.’

  In the pause that has followed the opening statement, each person on the jury look up from their laminated sheets trying to gauge my reaction to the accusation.

  Also looking at me is my Defence Barrister, she looks angry as if I have withheld this love triangle from her. Truth be told, this love triangle is also new news to me.

  I convey my surprise to my Barrister through my facial expression and a shrug of the shoulders.

  The Judge takes the opportunity to call a break and asks the Court Clerk to show the jury out.

  I join my Barrister as she frantically flicks through the paperwork trying to find a link to Jill, her partner Alex Grinshill and myself. There is nothing on file; as concisely as I can, I try to tell her all I know... which isn’t a great deal.

  After fifteen minutes the Jury return from their tea break.

  The Prosecution case continues.

  ‘The 19th of April 2000 was a Wednesday, Mr Ryebank took a direct flight from Newark International Airport in New Jersey leaving at 7:30 pm of that evening, and that landed at Manchester International Airport at 7.15 am of the following morning. He took the train from the airport to East Didsbury Station and then walked for approximately ten minutes to The Riverside Lido Hotel where he was due to stay for the duration of his four-day trip, leaving early on Bank Holiday Monday the 24th April.

  Mr Ryebank’s cell phone doesn’t work here in the United Kingdom but that was not to matter, as he had already made arrangements whilst in America to meet up with, and spend time with, Ms Breathnach from Good Friday until he left early on Monday morning, whilst she was off work for the Bank Holiday weekend. So, it came to pass that indeed Ms Breathnach did stay and sleep with the defendant for the duration of his stay, right up to the day of her murder on Easter Sunday the 23rd of April.

  Unfortunately, we have very little from Mr Ryebank’s Police interview to help us piece together the events of those four days, this is due to Mr Ryebank answering no comment to every question put to him, I trust he will do the decent and honourable thing by taking the stand here in Court to give his version of events?’

  Everyone in the Court is now looking at me awaiting my answer.

  I look to my Barrister and nod. She immediately stands to her feet and awaits the invitation from the Judge to speak.

  The Judge accepts that I will take the stand and makes arrangements for me to be brought forward to the dock when called.

  Chapter 18

  The Trial – Amanda Whixall

  The Prosecution continues.

  ‘Let us concentrate on the events leading up to the murder of Ms Breathnach. We will start with evidence from Amanda Whixall, Reception and Hospitality Manager from The Riverside Lido Hotel.’

  ‘Mrs. Whixall, if I could start by outlining your experience in the hotel and hospitality trade, how many years have you been in this line of work?’

  ‘Since leaving school, so that would be nineteen years, although I’ve only been at the Riverside Lido for five years.’

  ‘And in that time, I presume you have experienced a variety of people and situations?’

  Her reply starts with a nervous laugh. ‘Yes, you could say that!’

  ‘Is it normal for someone to book a room just for themselves, but then have a second person stay for the duration of the booking?’

  ‘Only the “day stays”, they tend to be people who are having an affair.’

  ‘So, that would be to conceal their presence in the hotel from other parties, such as a partner, husband or wife?’

  ‘Yes, that is correct, although I’ve never experienced it at this hotel, my experience of this type of booking is more common in the city centre hotels. If we are talking about this case, I’ve never known it for such a long duration, Mr Ryebank had booked the largest room we have and he paid a hefty single person supplement which he could have avoided if he had chosen a single room.’

  ‘So, on the face of it, by booking that type of room, Mr Ryebank was expecting company for the duration but wanted to conceal the fact he was actually sharing the room?’

  ‘On the face of it, yes. From my experience, people don’t want to pay any more for a room than they have to.’

  ‘How much extra did Mr Ryebank pay to stay in this deluxe room at your hotel?’

  ‘Three hundred and twenty pounds.’

  ‘Three hundred and twenty pounds extra! I hope he was happy with his stay.’

  ‘He did comment on several occasions in conversation with my staff, that he was delighted with the hotel and service.’

  ‘I’m sure he was! So, reading your Police statement, you confirm that you were on duty the day Ms
Breathnach arrived, which was the second day of Mr Ryebank’s stay, and dealt with her in person, as, at that time, you were covering the front reception desk. Your statement goes on to say that Mr Ryebank arrived in the reception area as you were speaking with Ms Breathnach and that when they embraced, they looked very much in love with each other.’

  ‘That is correct, I was on reception and they did look very much in love, I was quite envious in a way, you don’t often see such genuinely warm affection being displayed in public anymore.’

  ‘...And for the record, it didn’t look as if they were meeting for the first time in seventeen years?’

  ‘No, not in my experience. I’ve seen many people meeting during my time in the hotel and hospitality business, friends, family, colleagues, reunions. You can gauge how long people have been apart from each other and their relationship with each other, within ten seconds of them meeting.’

  ‘Now thinking back and reflecting on the time Mr Ryebank and Ms Breathnach spent in your hotel, did they look like a couple, I presume they had meals together and you and your staff saw them coming and going?’

  ‘Yes, that is correct. They had breakfast together on Friday when she arrived, and then on Saturday and Sunday during her stay with Mr Ryebank. They obviously passed through the Reception area when coming and going to and from the hotel, they looked like a very happy couple, often holding hands they looked very fond of each other.’

  ‘Did that change at any point during their stay?’

  ‘Yes, dramatically. On the Sunday Ms Breathnach came down to breakfast on her own, she looked upset as if she had been in an argument. Mr Ryebank joined her about twenty minutes later and there seemed to be some antagonism between them. At one-point Mr Ryebank stood up to leave and Ms Breathnach in no uncertain terms told him to sit back down.’

  ‘Did anything else happen that morning?’

  ‘Yes, Ms Breathnach left to take a phone call on her mobile and Mr Ryebank was joined by two men at his table, after a brief conversation Mr Ryebank appeared to confront one of the men in a threatening manner, according to my staff he stood up and used aggressive and threatening language.’

  ‘Can you elaborate on that point please Mrs Whixall?’

  ‘Yes, Mr Ryebank told one of the men to.... Can I say swear words in court?’

  ‘You most certainly can, if they are the words Mr Ryebank used, however, to save you from having to repeat what was said, I will read out the statement you have made to the Police on this matter. Mr Ryebank said to the man sat opposite him...

  “Now piss off and crawl back into your cesspit” then leaning forward Mr Ryebank deliberately knocked Ms Breathnach’s coffee off the table into his lap and repeated the opening line... “I said piss off”. Is that correct?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Mr. Ryebank seemed to be locking horns with quite a few people on this fateful day... interesting.’

  ‘He was a totally different person, and then the was the toilet incident.’

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Whixall, I was just coming to that, toilet incident, what can you tell us about that?’

  ‘Mr. Ryebank followed the man into the men’s toilet, we’re not sure what happened but the man ended up with some serious facial injuries, we had to call an ambulance.’

  ‘There were only two people in the toilet at that time, Mr Ryebank and the man who he had argued with at his breakfast table?’

  ‘Yes, CCTV outside the toilet door shows just the two of them entering and another guest who entered immediately after the incident stated there were only the two of them in there.’

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Whixall for your very clear and concise testimony, it was extremely helpful and informative!’

  The Prosecution continues their case.

  ‘So, the question here is the age-old one... did this man slip, or was he pushed, or worse assaulted?’ I must stress that Mr Ryebank has not been questioned on these matters and it is not for any of us here in this court to surmise as to what actually happened.

  One thing that might be of interest to these proceedings though... the man at the breakfast table, the man who ended up with serious facial injuries, including a broken jaw... was Mr Ryebank senior, the father of the defendant Joseph Ryebank.

  Now, as we progress through this trial you will see there is a common theme. Part of this common theme is that crucial people, those closest to the defendant who could give us critical information about him and the day’s events are either missing or dead. Mr Ryebank senior - missing, Ms Breathnach’s mother - missing, Joseph Ryebank’s current girlfriend in America – missing and unfortunately, the only person who holds all the information, other than Mr Ryebank of course, is the dead victim Jill Breathnach.’

  THE PROSECUTION BARRISTER takes his seat; my Barrister stands to her feet and addresses Amanda Whixall.

  ‘Mrs. Whixall, you have been in the hotel and hospitality trade since leaving school, so that would be nineteen years according to your earlier statement; is that true?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘In that time have you undertaken studies or attended training courses in either psychology or sociology?’

  ‘No, not exactly...’

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Whixall, just no will suffice. So, you are making assumptions on the relationship between the Defendant, Mr Ryebank and his friend Ms Breathnach and let me be clear, an assumption is without evidence?’

  ‘I just know people, call it a sixth sense...’

  ‘... a sixth sense... may I remind you that you re in a Court of Law, we only deal with factual evidence... are you having an affair Mrs Whixall?’

  Amanda Whixall looks flustered... ‘What?... No!’

  My Barrister continues. ‘You seem shocked Mrs Whixall, shocked that someone would make such an assumption about you. So the member of the staff in the cafeteria that you held in a tight embrace, your bodies pushed together, that you kissed on the lips and held as you laughed and joked whilst here, in this very court building, he was just a friend?’

  She is on the back foot and my Barrister knows it she repeats lines from Amanda Whixall’s evidence.

  ‘It’s just that you looked very much in love with each other and I was quite envious in a way; you don’t often see such genuinely warm affection being displayed in public anymore.’

  ‘No, it’s not like that, we used to work together in a hotel, actually, it was my first job and he was really kind to me.’

  ‘How long-ago Mrs Whixall?’

  ‘I started there nineteen years ago and I was there for two years.’

  ‘So, seventeen years ago, the same amount of time that Mr Ryebank and Ms Breathnach had been apart... and yet, when I saw you two embrace each other in the cafeteria I would say you hadn’t been apart for more than a couple of days.’

  The Judge intervenes. ‘Is there a point to all this?’

  ‘There is My Lord, I will move on and finish my point.’ She turns to face the jury.

  ‘So Mrs Whixall, the reason I brought this up is for two reasons, the first is; the evidence you have given today was designed to discredit the Defendants claim that he hadn’t seen his friend in seventeen years and the second is; that your account in court today is greatly embellished in comparison to your original police statement. Why is that Mrs Whixall, why is there so much more detail in your evidence today versus the statement you made to the Police at the time?’

  ‘Well, I know more about the case now...’

  ‘Exactly, so, as you have just admitted, you are allowing what you have heard and seen since giving your statement to influence the evidence you have given today.

  Members of the jury, as you know in a court of law, we work off facts, not assumptions and presumptions or hearsay or media speculation. Unfortunately, Mrs Whixall’s evidence contains very few facts but plenty of assumptions and presumptions, hearsay and media hype. There were three points in the evidence you heard today. One; the assumption that Joseph Ryebank booked a room to accommodate himself
and Ms Breathnach. The fact is, that Mr Ryebank booked his room based on what he could afford and for that reason only, why would he book a small single at the back of the hotel when he could afford a deluxe room overlooking the surrounding fields and the river? Two; the attempt to discredit Mr Ryebank by insinuating he was already having an affair with Ms Breathnach and three; the toilet incident which has no place in, or bearing on, this case and should never have been included or brought into these proceedings.

  I will, therefore, ask you to disregard all of what you have heard from Mrs Whixall as none of what you have heard is fact based. Thank you.’

  My Barrister takes her seat and the Judge takes a moment before speaking. ‘I feel this has been quite an intense opening session, and therefore I am going to call a stop to the proceedings for the day.

  May I remind all present and especially the jury that this case must not be discussed with anyone outside your number.

  We will reconvene tomorrow morning at ten.’

  Chapter 19

  The Trial – Lisa Pussett

  The following morning the Prosecution continue their case.

  ‘Good morning. Next, we will call Lisa Pussett to the stand. Lisa Pussett had been Mr Ryebank’s girlfriend between the ages of fifteen to nineteen, having met at school. That has no bearing in this case, however, the fact Mr Ryebank met up with Mrs Pussett on the day he arrived back in Manchester is.

  More importantly, he spent virtually all of his first day back here in the UK drinking with her in a local pub. Leaving the same said pub at last orders and spending the next few hours alone with her in a park into the early hours of Friday before returning to his hotel, arriving back just after two-thirty in the morning. Later on that Friday, Mrs Pussett, Mr Ryebank and the victim Ms Breathnach were to become embroiled in a street altercation.

  The Prosecution is calling this witness as we build the timeline between Mr Ryebank’s arrival on Thursday morning and the events leading to Ms Breathnach’s murder on the Sunday, also, it will give you the jury, an insight into Mr Ryebank’s character.’