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Crown Court: the gripping courtroom drama from the 1970s and 1980s.
Wealthy American Daniel Wolff, who has been previously investigated but not charged by the FBI for suspected drug-dealing, is charged with the attempted murder of scientist Edgar Dryden. Watch out for The Crowman (or Catweazle) himself, Geoffrey Bayldon as Edgar Dryden.
Wealthy American Daniel Wolff, who has been previously investigated but not charged by the FBI for suspected drug-dealing, is charged with the attempted murder of scientist Edgar Dryden. Watch out for The Crowman (or Catweazle) himself, Geoffrey Bayldon as Edgar Dryden.
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00:00:00Transcription by CastingWords
00:00:30Transcription by CastingWords
00:01:00Transcription by CastingWords
00:01:29Transcription by CastingWords
00:01:59method mr. Logan otherwise the charge would be murder not attempted murder my
00:02:05lord mr. Dryden's life was preserved by an element of luck which might not arise
00:02:09in any similar incident in the future well mr. Logan either make your
00:02:13application or call your first witness thank you my lord now as I am anxious
00:02:18for the court to understand why
00:02:29you have also published several papers on the application of artificial earth satellites
00:02:44and lunar satellites and solar satellites when did you first discuss their uses in 1947
00:02:49you are the first man to see the possibility of the navigation satellites
00:03:01mr. Logan indeed my lord mr. Dryden including the screenplay of the film 2001
00:03:12well carry on mr. Logan oh thank you my lord
00:03:18mr. Dryden would you tell the court about the paper you published in 1957 and the
00:03:23bearing it has on your present work yes 1957 was the IGY the international
00:03:28geophysical year mr. Dryden yes my lord it actually lasted from the middle of 1957
00:03:34to the end of 1958 and during that period Russia and the United States launched the
00:03:40first artificial satellites well I was one of the earliest to suggest that
00:03:44satellites could be used to monitor the health of world crops and to provide a
00:03:49warning system when they were threatened with disease how infrared
00:03:55analysis is one method the color variation a disease crop shows up quite
00:04:01clearly from a height of 200 miles even when it's not necessarily apparently
00:04:06someone actually on the ground I see you think and were your theories on crop
00:04:11surveillance put into practice yes the United States government are now
00:04:15providing undeveloped countries with a steady stream of information on crop
00:04:19well-being even specific fields in remote areas have been pinpointed and
00:04:25remedial treatment suggested mr. Dryden before you could recommend treatment you
00:04:29would have to know what the crop was that's true my lord but identifying a
00:04:33particular crop in an individual field is no problem with high-definition
00:04:38cameras taken from a modern satellite every type of crop has its own
00:04:43fingerprints if you like the light reflected from a field of wheat when
00:04:48examined on a spectrum analyzer is quite a different light from that of say a
00:04:53field of brassica and cabbages and so on yes this facility for identifying crops
00:05:00from satellites has a direct bearing on the case before us my lord I'm delighted to hear it mr.
00:05:04Logan yes now mr. Dryden just before your return to this country in 1961 from the USA
00:05:10did you submit a special paper on the use of satellites to the American Federal Bureau of
00:05:14Narcotics yes and will you please outline to the court the contents of that paper I suggested the
00:05:21use of an unmanned satellite to determine and locate those areas throughout the world where papaver
00:05:29somniferum was being grown in commercial quantities a papaver somniferum is the opium poppy the resin
00:05:36extracted from the seed pod is one of the basic ingredients for the production of morphine and heroin
00:05:43and were the narcotics bureau interested in your suggestion yes very in fact only the Americans appear to be
00:05:50interested in stamping out narcotics on a global scale while I was preparing the paper I discussed
00:05:58it in some length with the late Harry J Anslinger then head of the narcotics bureau he was very felt
00:06:05very keenly about American aid going to countries whose governments turned a blind eye to opium production
00:06:11at the time he was receiving positive information from you to spy plane flights using my techniques
00:06:20proper program was just getting underway when the flights had to be curtailed following the Gary Powers
00:06:29incident over Russia how widespread is the cultivation of the opium poppy judging from the amount of morphine and
00:06:38heroin reaching the United States the narcotics bureau have estimated that the total acreage
00:06:45under cultivation must be about 1 billion up to that time they only knew the location of half that
00:06:52acreage by a billion you mean the American billion yes ma'am what happened after you submitted your paper
00:06:59nothing happened immediately in 1961 I returned to this country and did narcotics research for the home
00:07:06office then in 1965 I received a request to return to the United States because the narcotics bureau wanted
00:07:14me to carry out a program to locate the missing billion half billion acres and how did you set about this
00:07:20task well narcotics bureau didn't have the funds to support to provide their own satellite so they did
00:07:27the next best thing they obtained the use of an obsolete tyros satellite from the US weather bureau now this
00:07:34particular tyros was in good working order and in polar orbit which meant that it was ideal for
00:07:42global surveillance I think you can best demonstrate this with the aid of the globe
00:07:47come on Golding
00:07:48first we get a lesson in science fiction
00:07:51very well Mr Dryden you may leave the witness rocks
00:07:54and now we're gonna get a grand tour of a look
00:07:57now Mr Dryden would you explain to the court this
00:08:02just a moment please Mr Logan
00:08:05Mr Golding who is that man
00:08:08he is Mr Warren C Turner my lord the accused American attorney
00:08:14well Mr Warren C Turner
00:08:16I don't know if the disturbance you've been creating in this court is normal in America
00:08:20but it is quite unacceptable here
00:08:23yes your honor
00:08:24it is usual to address me as my lord
00:08:27and if you wish to communicate with Mr Golding
00:08:30will you please do so in whispers
00:08:32or by the use of surreptitious notes
00:08:35do you understand
00:08:39now what is it
00:08:44I'm very sorry my lord I was explaining the meaning of the word surreptitious
00:08:49very well Mr Logan
00:08:53my lord
00:08:53Mr Dryden would you please explain to the court
00:08:56how you carried out your research with the tyros satellite
00:09:00certainly
00:09:01well most tyros satellites are in equatorial orbit like so
00:09:07now the disadvantage of such a satellite is that it can only take clear television pictures of the equatorial regions
00:09:15whereas I'm also interested in the sub equatorial regions
00:09:18now the satellite that I have use of is in polar orbit like this
00:09:23now the advantage here is that as the satellite orbits the earth
00:09:28the earth as we all know rotates on its own axis
00:09:32and during a complete cycle of orbits
00:09:35every square inch of the earth surface comes beneath the TV cameras
00:09:39yes you said that you used an obsolete satellite Mr Dryden
00:09:42surely the pictures are not so clear that you can identify a particular crop
00:09:47that's true my lord but from the colour of the earth and rainfall assessment
00:09:51we can determine those areas where the poppy could grow
00:09:54and therefore eliminate those areas where it could not
00:09:57from this data we can then send out information to the Skylab astronauts
00:10:04as to which areas we want photographed in high definition 70mm cameras
00:10:09to expect them to photograph the entire area below them would be impossible
00:10:15NASA have only allocated 20 man hours a mission to narcotics work survey work
00:10:22Has this work already been undertaken by previous Skylab missions?
00:10:26Well we're still analysing the last photographs they took for us
00:10:30so far we've detected 100,000 acres in India
00:10:3620,000 acres in Chad and North Africa
00:10:40and I forget the exact figures in China but I know it's considerable
00:10:45in all we've detected about a quarter of a million acres
00:10:50the cost effectiveness of the research is favourable
00:10:54about 6 cents or 10 cents an acre and decreasing
00:10:59and would you tell the court the reasons for your dedication to your work Mr Dryden?
00:11:05Yes
00:11:07In 1959
00:11:11I decided to devote the rest of my life
00:11:14in helping to stamp out the obscene traffic in narcotics
00:11:18because in 1959
00:11:22my 18 year old daughter
00:11:25died a horrible death in New York
00:11:28from heroin addiction
00:11:30The End of the World
00:11:35About half a million dollars but the grant comes up for review again next year
00:11:47Why did you transfer your research to this country?
00:11:51It's much cheaper to run a tracking station over here
00:11:54and besides with a polar orbit satellite it can be located anywhere in the world
00:11:59But were there other reasons for using this country?
00:12:02Yes but they
00:12:04now seem rather silly
00:12:06Yes counsel seems to think they're important
00:12:08so I think we'd better hear them Mr Dryden
00:12:10It seems I was somewhat accident prone in the United States
00:12:15You mean that while you were in the United States
00:12:17there had been several other attempts upon your life?
00:12:20I wouldn't go so far as to say that
00:12:21Really?
00:12:22But the Federal Bureau of Narcotics said so
00:12:25They went even further
00:12:27Exhibit one my lord
00:12:28A statement from the head of the Narcotics Bureau
00:12:31My learned friend has seen a document
00:12:34Now the person who made this statement
00:12:42is he going to be called as a witness?
00:12:44No my lord
00:12:45I have seen the document my lord
00:12:46and as it appears to have no bearing on the charge facing my client
00:12:49I have no objection to it being introduced under the Criminal Justice Act
00:12:53Very well Mr Logan
00:12:56Thank you my lord
00:13:04Now between 1966 and 1970
00:13:07there were six attempts on the life of the British scientist Edgar Dryden
00:13:11Mr Dryden is working on a special project for this bureau
00:13:14which will if successful make a significant contribution to stemming
00:13:18or maybe halting altogether the flow of illicit hard drugs into the United States
00:13:23Following the second abortive attempt on Mr Dryden's life
00:13:27I detailed two officers to maintain a 24 hour watch on his movements
00:13:31These men thwarted four further moves against Mr Dryden
00:13:35In my opinion Mr Dryden should be persuaded to transfer his operations to a military base
00:13:40where he will be free from outside interference
00:13:42and it's signed by the head of the Narcotics Bureau, my lord
00:13:45You knew of these previous attempts on your life?
00:13:48Yes, but I refused to be made virtually a prisoner at Edwards Air Force Base
00:13:52That was another reason for my transfer to this country
00:13:55Anyway, the Americans always over-dramatize everything
00:13:58Yes, well six assassination attempts are not something to be played down, Mr Dryden
00:14:03With one exception they could all have been accidents
00:14:06What was the exception?
00:14:07A Cadillac tried to run me down
00:14:10I managed to jump aside, it mounted the pavement, ran into a hydrant, backed and drove off
00:14:17So in 1970 you returned to this country and took over the offshore forts of Little Talon and Great Talon?
00:14:24Yes, they suited me because being a few miles off the coast
00:14:29they were relatively free from electrical interference
00:14:32It had nothing to do with safety
00:14:34I know those forts
00:14:35The large one has a radar scanner on the top of a concrete tower
00:14:39Yes, my lord, that's my parabolic dish for receiving photographs from the Tyros satellite
00:14:43Did you purchase the forts?
00:14:45No, my solicitor in Fullchester couldn't trace the owner
00:14:48So you occupied them rent-free?
00:14:51Yes, you see they were built during the Napoleonic War to guard the approach channels to Rockley Hard
00:14:58Which in those days was a busy port and shipbuilding centre
00:15:01I see
00:15:02Do you use both forts, Mr Dryden?
00:15:05No, Little Talon's too small
00:15:07But Great Talon has the concrete tower and several outbuildings that the Observer Corps put up during the war
00:15:13Does shipping ever come near the forts?
00:15:15No, they're surrounded by sandbanks which are constantly shifting
00:15:19Two hundred years ago the forts were either side of the main channel
00:15:23But it's all silted up now
00:15:25It's only safe for shallow draft vessels
00:15:28Such as the motor yacht Rasputin owned by the accused
00:15:31Oh, my lord, my learned friend is constantly putting leading questions to this place
00:15:34Quite right, Mr Golding
00:15:36My lord, I didn't appreciate that there would be any dispute over this
00:15:39I shall be producing evidence to show that the motor yacht Rasputin owned by the accused
00:15:44And did in fact spend twelve hours moored near Little Talon on the 3rd of October
00:15:49The day before the attempt on Mr Dryden's line
00:15:51Well, you'd better get on with it then
00:15:53Yes, my lord
00:15:55Now, Mr Dryden, did you ever see the accused yacht Rasputin near your forts?
00:16:02Yes, for several days before the 3rd they'd been stooging around shooting at sharks
00:16:09They usually had a few hanging from the transom
00:16:11Was there any attempt to land on Great Talon?
00:16:14Yes, but I always managed to scare them off by threatening them with distress rockets
00:16:19I wasn't keen to meet the owner
00:16:22And did you ever see the accused yacht visit the other fort, that is, Little Talon?
00:16:26Yes, on the afternoon of the 3rd as I was climbing the ladder to the tracking room
00:16:29The iron ladder set into the outside of the concrete tower
00:16:32Yes
00:16:33How often do you climb that ladder?
00:16:34Once a day
00:16:35And when you saw the yacht Rasputin stooging around, did you form the impression that you were being watched?
00:16:40My lord
00:16:41Yes, Mr Logan, you really must confine yourself to what the witness saw and heard, not what he thought
00:16:47Yes, my lord, I have no more questions
00:16:51Mr Dryden, does your research suggest that opium is being grown in Soviet bloc countries?
00:16:56Yes
00:16:58Yes
00:16:59Yes, and you tell us that your work is a threat to the world's illicit drugs industry
00:17:02Because you can pinpoint possible opium fields to be photographed by the Skylab Astral
00:17:07Yes
00:17:08Mr Dryden, the Skylab program is finished
00:17:11No further Skylab missions are planned
00:17:13There's an Apollo orbital mission later this year, on July the 25th
00:17:18Oh yes, the Apollo-Soyuz test program when Russian and American spacecraft will link up in orbit around the Earth
00:17:25Yes
00:17:26Do you really think it likely that NASA will agree to their astronauts taking pictures of Soviet bloc countries with Russian cosmonauts looking over their shoulders?
00:17:34Skylab photographs are only to back up my own findings
00:17:39Besides, the Skylab is still in orbit, it could still be used
00:17:44But hardly likely, Mr Dryden
00:17:46Hmm?
00:17:49No, I suppose not
00:17:51No
00:17:52Now you saw my client's yacht Rasputin moored to Little Talon on the 3rd of October
00:17:56What time did it leave?
00:17:58Four in the afternoon
00:17:59And what other boats moored there that day?
00:18:01Only Rasputin
00:18:02You kept watch at night?
00:18:04No
00:18:05Then how do you know another boat or boats did not visit Little Talon during the night?
00:18:09I should have heard the engines
00:18:10On a sailing boat?
00:18:12But I've already told you the area around the forts is shallow
00:18:18Sailing vessels have a deep keel
00:18:20Hmm, if you knew anything about sailing boats, Mr Dryden
00:18:23You would also know that many of them have keels which can be taken up into the center box
00:18:27So that they can navigate in shallow water
00:18:29So
00:18:32You cannot be certain that Rasputin was the only boat to visit Little Talon
00:18:36On the day before this so-called attempt on your life
00:18:39Now this picture we have of you, Mr Dryden
00:18:42Of a dedicated scientist working in splendid isolation to avenge the death of his daughter
00:18:46It's a rather dramatic picture, don't you think?
00:18:49Tracking stations have to be in remote areas
00:18:52The only sound is the endless cry of seabirds born on the wind
00:18:57And the relentless eternal thunder of the sea as it beats against that pinnacle of knowledge
00:19:03Where knowledge and the frontiers of that knowledge are being pushed ever outward
00:19:08They're your words?
00:19:12No, Mr Dryden
00:19:14They're the words of your New York publicity agent
00:19:17Do you employ a publicity agent, Mr Dryden?
00:19:21A press agent, my lord
00:19:23Is it useful for a scientist to employ one?
00:19:26Not so much in this country
00:19:28It doesn't fit, does it, Mr Dryden?
00:19:30We have this picture of you as a man who shuns publicity
00:19:32And now we learn that you actually employ a man to make sure that you get it
00:19:36And very successful he is too
00:19:40Several appearances on American TV chat shows, lecture tours
00:19:45One cannot help wondering why you spend so much of your precious time
00:19:49Well, on such things
00:19:51Publicity can help
00:19:53Especially in your case, yes?
00:19:55I don't know what you mean
00:19:57Don't you?
00:19:58Well, you mentioned your grant which comes up for review next year
00:20:02Isn't it so that you received advance warning on the form that that review will take?
00:20:07Yes
00:20:08That your grant will be cut?
00:20:10Yes
00:20:11Completely?
00:20:12Yes, the United States government are trying to cut down on their expenditure
00:20:15On unnecessary expenditure?
00:20:17My work is essential
00:20:18Well, it's important for you and your publicity agent to convince
00:20:21Press agent
00:20:23For you and your press agent to convince as many people as possible that it's essential, yes?
00:20:27It could help
00:20:30Yes
00:20:31Didn't you write to your publicity agent and...
00:20:34Press agent
00:20:35As you wish
00:20:37Press agent
00:20:38Didn't you write to him some months ago and to quote your own words
00:20:41Ask him to pull out all stops?
00:20:43Yes
00:20:44Yes
00:20:45Well, he's certainly done so over the past few weeks with this case, hasn't he?
00:20:49Virtually every major American newspaper has carried the story of the British scientist
00:20:54Whose life was threatened by the drug syndicate
00:20:57Would you say that this publicity has been useful, Mr Dryden?
00:21:00Oh, my lord, not only does the question call for conjecture on the part of the witness
00:21:03But it is also immaterial whether or not the publicity was useful
00:21:06No, Mr Logan
00:21:07As Mr Dryden has admitted that he employed an agent
00:21:11It seems reasonable to suppose that he could judge whether that publicity was useful
00:21:16Was it useful?
00:21:18I suppose so
00:21:20There is no suppose about it
00:21:22Was it useful?
00:21:23Yes
00:21:24Yes
00:21:25Now, turning to the method used for this attempt on your life
00:21:30Which my learned friend is being so secretive about
00:21:33Did you see the rifle set up on Little Tallinn?
00:21:36The police show me it was trained on the ladder that led to the tracking room
00:21:40An ingenious method to kill someone, wouldn't you say?
00:21:42Yes
00:21:43Set up by someone with a sound working knowledge of electronics?
00:21:46Yes
00:21:47Had you that knowledge to set that method up?
00:21:49The knowledge but not the imagination
00:21:53If someone had wanted such a thing I could have made it
00:21:56But it wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise
00:21:59Yes, as we seem to be dwelling on this method of assassination
00:22:02I think it is high time it was explained to me and to the jury
00:22:06Yes, it is my intention to introduce it as soon as possible, my lord
00:22:09If your lordship would consider sitting in camera
00:22:12Yes, well, having studied the depositions
00:22:15I think I understand your reasons for such a request
00:22:18However, the public has a right to know and to be fully informed
00:22:21Of the dangers of technology in the wrong hands
00:22:25And there seems to be no state security about it
00:22:29Accordingly, I reject your application
00:22:32As your lordship pleases
00:22:34Now, do you have any more questions of this witness, Mr Golding?
00:22:38No, my lord, thank you
00:22:39I have no re-examination, my lord
00:22:41Thank you, Mr Dryden
00:22:44Mr Dryden
00:22:47Now then, Mr Logan
00:22:49What about this equipment?
00:22:51Yes, my lord
00:22:52Would you bring the trolley in, please?
00:22:54I am okay
00:22:55Thank you
00:22:56I am okay
00:22:57I am okay
00:22:58I am okay
00:22:59I am okay
00:23:00I am okay
00:23:01Mr. Logan, my lord, what is this?
00:23:20This rifle and this TV camera were found by the police on Little Talon Fort.
00:23:32The rifle was trained on the iron ladder used every day by Edgar Dryden.
00:23:37And the accused, Daniel Wolfe, hoped to kill him at a distance of several miles from the safety of his yacht.
00:23:45Murder by television.
00:23:50The case of the Queen against Wolfe will be resumed tomorrow in the Crown Court.
00:24:08AVAILABLE NOW
00:24:43Daniel Wolfe, a wealthy American with business connections in the American Drug Syndicate,
00:24:52is charged with the attempted murder of Edgar Dryden, a brilliant British scientist
00:24:57who's developed a technique to trace opium poppy fields by means of aerial photography from artificial satellites.
00:25:05He prefers to work alone, spending most of his time in his satellite tracking station on Great Talon,
00:25:11an offshore fort built during the Napoleonic Wars.
00:25:15Daniel Wolfe has been in trouble before with the FBI and various state authorities,
00:25:20but his wealth, brains and attorneys have kept him out of the American courts.
00:25:25Now, for the first time, he's in a British court.
00:25:28Oh, a minor irritation, and only a matter of time before he's released and allowed to return to his luxury motor yacht, Rasputin.
00:25:36Or so he believes.
00:25:39What is your religion?
00:25:40British Baptist.
00:25:41Take the Bible in your right hand and read aloud the words on this card.
00:25:45I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
00:25:49You are Dennis Gill, and you live at 14 Tennyson Avenue, Fulchester?
00:25:55Yes.
00:25:56And you're a senior engineer with the Independent Broadcasting Authority, Mr. Gill?
00:26:00Yes.
00:26:01Now, would you tell the court, in your own words, the events of the 4th of October of last year?
00:26:05Yes.
00:26:06At that time, I was out in a site survey van,
00:26:10receiving test pictures on a new IBA relay station.
00:26:13By relay station, you mean a television transmitter?
00:26:15That's right.
00:26:16I knew UHF colour transmitter on Wormsley Down.
00:26:18Yes, I thought the whole of the country was covered by television by now.
00:26:22Oh, not with colour, though.
00:26:23With the old black and white 405 line system,
00:26:25we could virtually cover the whole country with only 47 transmitters.
00:26:29With the new 625 line colour signal, it's not so obliging.
00:26:33There's no swirling effect, no filling in behind hills.
00:26:37Therefore, we need many more stations.
00:26:40Uh, look, I'll show you.
00:26:45They're the old 405 line transmitters, 47 of them.
00:26:57And these are the new colour transmitters, 150 of them.
00:27:00We are going to need 450 to cover the country.
00:27:03We're opening news stations at the rate of one a week.
00:27:05I see.
00:27:07So commercial television companies do not actually transmit their own programme?
00:27:11Oh, no, sir.
00:27:12Transmission of ITV programmes is an IBA responsibility.
00:27:16Oh, I see.
00:27:20Hmm.
00:27:22I'm, uh...
00:27:23I'm sorry, Mr Logan.
00:27:24I seem to be leading Mr Gill astray.
00:27:28Would you describe your site survey van, Mr Gill?
00:27:31Well, basically, it's a 20-hundred-wit Bedford van fitted with television-receiving equipment.
00:27:37There's a steerable aerial on the roof, which can be rotated from the inside so that it's pointed at the transmitter.
00:27:43And what is the purpose of this van?
00:27:45Well, when a new transmitter opens, we tour the area to assess picture and sound quality.
00:27:51The aerial can be extended to a height of 30 feet,
00:27:53the probable height of a domestic aerial when it's mounted on the rooftops.
00:27:57Whenever we show up, people think that we're the GPO detector van.
00:28:02They all rush off to buy their licences.
00:28:04Hmm.
00:28:05So, at 10 a.m. on the 4th of October,
00:28:08you drove out with your van to the Wormsy Coast Road to carry out such a test.
00:28:11Is that correct?
00:28:12Yes.
00:28:14There's a new housing estate planned for the area.
00:28:16So I parked the van and switched on the television-receiving equipment.
00:28:20As I was tuning into Channel 49,
00:28:23that's the channel of the new one,
00:28:26I picked up a signal on Channel 65.
00:28:29You received a picture?
00:28:30Yes.
00:28:30Will you describe that picture, please?
00:28:33Well, it was a very weak signal to begin with,
00:28:35so I rotated the aerial until it became stronger.
00:28:38It was a picture of an iron ladder set into a wall.
00:28:43Superimposed on the picture was a T-shape,
00:28:45rather like the sights on a rifle.
00:28:48Well, that was odd enough,
00:28:49but what was even odder was that the signal was being received on Channel 65.
00:28:54Why should that be unusual?
00:28:56Well, we don't use that channel, neither does the BBC.
00:28:59It's reserved for a fourth television channel that we'd like to have in the future.
00:29:03So what did you do next?
00:29:05I got out of the van and checked the aerial alignment.
00:29:08To see where it was pointing?
00:29:10Yes.
00:29:11And where was it pointing?
00:29:11At Little Tallon Fort, about three miles out to sea,
00:29:15and a little way down the coast from where I was.
00:29:17So I drove the van a few miles and took another reading.
00:29:22Again, maximum signal strength was picked up when it was pointing at Little Tallon.
00:29:26Could you see the fort?
00:29:27Oh, yes.
00:29:28It was a clear day.
00:29:29Well, I telephoned Fulchester CID and told them that someone was making illegal television transmission from Little Tallon Fort.
00:29:36Did you describe the picture?
00:29:38Yes.
00:29:39I spoke to Superintendent Walker.
00:29:41He told me to stay where I was for the time being.
00:29:43So I waited there for about an hour.
00:29:45Then a police car came and picked me up and took me to Rockley Hard.
00:29:49From there I went by boat to Little Tallon.
00:29:52And Mr. Walker was waiting for me.
00:29:54He wanted me to examine their equipment.
00:29:57And where was that equipment?
00:29:58It was set up in an old shed over looking great Tallon Fort.
00:30:02Will you look at the equipment in the court, please, Mr. Gill?
00:30:05Very well, Mr. Gill.
00:30:06You may leave the witness box.
00:30:13Are you familiar with such items?
00:30:17All except the rifle.
00:30:19And are these the pieces of equipment that you saw on Little Tallon?
00:30:23Yes.
00:30:24Yes.
00:30:24Would you describe their functions to the court, please?
00:30:27Well, this, as you can see, is a rifle.
00:30:30These are telescopic sights.
00:30:33This is a miniature television camera whose lens is attached to the rifle sights.
00:30:39The picture signal is fed along this cable here to this amplifier and transmitter here.
00:30:47From here, it's transmitted by this antenna.
00:30:51It looks like an ordinary television aerial to me.
00:30:54Oh, it is, sir.
00:30:55But a television aerial can also be used to transmit pictures as well as to receive them.
00:31:01And where was this aerial mounted when you first saw it?
00:31:04Outside the shed.
00:31:06Outside the wood was rotten, and part of the bracket had been torn away, probably by the wind,
00:31:12so that the aerial, instead of transmitting pictures out to sea as it would have done in its original position,
00:31:18was actually transmitting pictures down the coast.
00:31:21Hmm.
00:31:22And what about this little gadget here attached to the trigger on the rifle?
00:31:26Now, that's an actuator, the type that's used in radio-controlled model aircraft to work the elevators and rudders.
00:31:32Which, in this case, could be used to pull the trigger on the rifle?
00:31:36Yes, if you had a transmitter for a radio-controlled model aircraft.
00:31:39Such as this.
00:31:41Exhibit 6, my lord.
00:31:42The model aircraft transmitter found on board the accused yacht when she was arrested by the Royal Navy.
00:31:48Yes.
00:31:48Pressing this button would operate the trigger.
00:31:50I see.
00:31:51And how far off could one be from this rifle with that gadget and still operate the trigger?
00:31:56Anything up to 20 miles overseas.
00:31:59And what is the maximum range of that transmitter?
00:32:02About the same.
00:32:03Mr. Gill, that equipment seems rather small for a television transmitter.
00:32:07You get them even smaller nowadays, sir.
00:32:09And as it has to transmit a very narrow beam, it doesn't have to be very powerful.
00:32:14Presumably it needs electricity. Is there a main supply on the fort?
00:32:18This is a rechargeable battery.
00:32:22Its output is sufficient to operate both the camera and the transmitter for at least 20 hours.
00:32:27Yes. Was everything switched on when you examined it?
00:32:30Oh, yes. The whole system was active.
00:32:32So, Mr. Gill, with a radio control transmitter such as that, it would be possible to fire this rifle from anything up to 20 miles away at whatever it happened to be aimed at?
00:32:43Providing you had a television receiver capable of picking up the signal being transmitted.
00:32:47Yes. Such as this portable television set found on board the accused's yacht.
00:32:51That's Exhibit 7, my lord.
00:32:52Yes.
00:32:53Yes, Mr. Gill, would you be kind enough to tune this set into Channel 65?
00:32:56Yes.
00:33:02Well, members of the jury, that picture you see there is being transmitted by this camera attached to this rifle.
00:33:27Well, just as the picture of the iron ladder, habitually used by Edgar Dryden, was transmitted with the same equipment on Little Tallon on the 4th of October.
00:33:36Thank you, Mr. Gill.
00:33:38Will you return to the witness box, please?
00:33:50I have no more questions, my lord.
00:33:52That's actually...
00:33:53That's what you...
00:33:54Golding.
00:33:55Yes, I'm sorry, my lord.
00:33:58Mr. Turner was explaining a surreptitious note to me.
00:34:03Mr. Gill, although you can pinpoint the exact spot where television transmissions originate,
00:34:09you cannot tell where a television set is used to receive these transmissions.
00:34:14Not with my equipment.
00:34:16So anyone within a 20-mile radius could have received that picture?
00:34:19No, I only received the picture because I was on the edge of the beam.
00:34:23I doubt if anyone else on the mainland would have received it.
00:34:26Yes, but you only doubt. You're not positive.
00:34:28Well, there might have been a stray signal, but...
00:34:30Exactly, yes. Thank you, Mr. Gill.
00:34:32And does your lordship have any questions?
00:34:34No, thank you.
00:34:35Thank you, Mr. Gill.
00:34:36Well, I now call...
00:34:37Just a moment, Mr. Logan.
00:34:38Mr. Gill, it appears that you may have saved Mr. Dryden's life.
00:34:42Well, it's a matter of luck, really.
00:34:44Yes, very lucky for Mr. Dryden that you happen to be about on October the 4th.
00:34:48Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Gill.
00:34:50I now call Superintendent Walker of Fulchester C.I.D.
00:34:56Superintendent Walker, please.
00:35:20At 10.45 a.m. on the 4th of October,
00:35:41my office received a telephone call from an IBA engineer, Mr. Dennis Gill,
00:35:46who claimed to be receiving a television picture from the Little Talon Fort.
00:35:51And did you know of Edgar Dryden's research activities on Great Talon?
00:35:55Yes, I did.
00:35:55And what was your reaction to the call from Dennis Gill?
00:35:58I was extremely worried,
00:36:00as I know the nature of Mr. Dryden's research.
00:36:03I immediately contacted the pilots, Sophos and Rockley Hard,
00:36:06and asked them to prepare a boat
00:36:08to take me and two of my men out to Little Talon.
00:36:11I was there 45 minutes later.
00:36:13And what did you find on Little Talon?
00:36:14The gear there on the trolley.
00:36:17Yes, you may leave the box, Superintendent, to examine the exhibit.
00:36:21Thank you, my lord.
00:36:29Is it set up now as you found it?
00:36:32Yes, except that this television aerial
00:36:37was then fixed up outside the shed,
00:36:40and I noted that the mounting bracket
00:36:43had been torn away from the woodwork.
00:36:45And what was the rifle aimed at?
00:36:47It was aimed at an iron ladder
00:36:49set against the tower on Great Talon,
00:36:51450 yards away.
00:36:53Had the rifle been fired?
00:36:54No, and I made certain that it would not be.
00:36:58Ah, what did you do?
00:37:00Without disturbing the rifle's aim,
00:37:02I opened the bridge
00:37:05like so,
00:37:07and removed
00:37:08this bullet.
00:37:12So now the rifle was harmless,
00:37:14and what did you do next?
00:37:16I remained beside the rifle
00:37:19and gave instructions
00:37:21that the motor yacht Rasputin
00:37:23was to be arrested immediately.
00:37:25The Coast Guard,
00:37:27the Rocklehard Harbormaster,
00:37:29and the Royal Navy Fisheries Protection People
00:37:31had all been keeping a close watch
00:37:33on that vessel's movements
00:37:34on my behalf
00:37:35since the week previous
00:37:36and reporting back to my office.
00:37:38When was the last such report?
00:37:418 a.m. that same morning.
00:37:43My information was
00:37:44that the Rasputin had bunkered
00:37:46with 30 tons of diesel fuel,
00:37:493,000 gallons of fresh water,
00:37:51paid her harbor dues,
00:37:53and left Rocklehard.
00:37:54And did you issue
00:37:55any other instructions?
00:37:56Yes, I arranged for the
00:37:58IBA engineer, Dennis Gill,
00:38:00to be brought out
00:38:01to Little Talon.
00:38:02I wanted him to have
00:38:03a look at this slot.
00:38:04And what did you do then?
00:38:05I still remained standing
00:38:07by the rifle as I am now,
00:38:09and kept watch on the ladder
00:38:10on Great Talon
00:38:11through my binoculars.
00:38:13At ten minutes past noon,
00:38:15Mr Dryden emerged
00:38:16from his quarters
00:38:17and began to climb the ladder.
00:38:19I then bent down
00:38:20and looked at the rifle's
00:38:22sighting
00:38:23through the camera viewfinder.
00:38:26The crossed hairs
00:38:27of the telescopic sight
00:38:29were aimed at a point
00:38:31halfway up the ladder.
00:38:33And just as Mr Dryden's head
00:38:34coincided with the crossed hairs,
00:38:37there was a buzzing sound
00:38:38and the rifle's trigger
00:38:40actuated with a loud click.
00:38:42Like this?
00:38:43Exactly.
00:38:48So,
00:38:48you had the unique experience
00:38:50of looking through
00:38:51the sights of a rifle
00:38:52at the precise moment
00:38:53when it was used
00:38:54in an attempt
00:38:55to kill someone.
00:38:56Yes.
00:38:57And what would have happened
00:38:58had you not removed
00:38:59that bullet?
00:39:00Mr Dryden would be dead.
00:39:02Oh, my lord,
00:39:02the witness cannot be allowed
00:39:03to speculate in this way.
00:39:04There's the question
00:39:04of wind reflection.
00:39:05My lord,
00:39:07that bullet
00:39:08would have killed
00:39:09Mr Dryden.
00:39:10There was no wind.
00:39:11And furthermore,
00:39:12when we checked
00:39:13the rifle afterwards,
00:39:14we found that the sights
00:39:16had been zeroed
00:39:17at 450 yards,
00:39:19the exact distance
00:39:20between the rifle
00:39:21and the ladder.
00:39:23And what was the exact time
00:39:24the trigger went off?
00:39:26Eleven minutes past noon.
00:39:28And at two that afternoon,
00:39:30I went aboard
00:39:30the Rasputin,
00:39:31which the Royal Navy
00:39:32had escorted back
00:39:33to Rockley Harp.
00:39:35And I there
00:39:36arrested the owner,
00:39:37Daniel Wolfe.
00:39:38And what else did you do?
00:39:39I searched the vessel
00:39:41and took away
00:39:41two pieces of equipment.
00:39:43One,
00:39:44a radio-controlled transmitter,
00:39:46the type used
00:39:47for model aircraft,
00:39:48and two,
00:39:49a portable television receiver.
00:39:50Would you examine
00:39:51Exhibits 6 and 7,
00:39:52please,
00:39:53on the clerk's desk?
00:39:56Are those the items
00:39:57you saw on Rasputin?
00:39:59Yes.
00:40:01Thank you, Superintendent.
00:40:02You may return
00:40:02to the witness box.
00:40:10Now,
00:40:11what was the result
00:40:11of the tests
00:40:12you made on those items?
00:40:14We found that
00:40:15the portable television set
00:40:18was capable
00:40:18of receiving a picture
00:40:20from the camera
00:40:21on Little Teller.
00:40:22We also found that
00:40:23pressing a button
00:40:24on the radio control gadget
00:40:26operated
00:40:27the trigger of the rifle
00:40:28as you have just demonstrated.
00:40:30And where on the yacht
00:40:31were they found?
00:40:32In the owner's stateroom.
00:40:34Thank you, Superintendent.
00:40:37Superintendent,
00:40:37would you say
00:40:38that the Rasputin
00:40:38is a luxury yacht?
00:40:40Yes,
00:40:41very luxurious.
00:40:42Besides those items
00:40:43you removed,
00:40:44did you notice
00:40:44any other pieces
00:40:45of equipment
00:40:46in the stateroom?
00:40:48There was a display panel
00:40:50which indicated
00:40:51the vessel's course
00:40:51and speed.
00:40:52And hi-fi equipment?
00:40:53Yes,
00:40:55there was a tape outfit
00:40:57with a couple
00:40:58of large speakers.
00:40:59The kind of equipment
00:41:00in fact you would
00:41:01expect to find,
00:41:02reasonably expect to find,
00:41:03in the stateroom
00:41:04of a luxury yacht.
00:41:06Yes.
00:41:07And a portable television
00:41:08would come into
00:41:09the same category,
00:41:10would it not?
00:41:11It was not a fixture.
00:41:13Everything else
00:41:14was properly installed.
00:41:16And then there was
00:41:17the radio control gadget
00:41:18for model aircraft.
00:41:20Ah, yes.
00:41:20Did you ask the accused
00:41:21why he was in possession
00:41:22of such a gadget?
00:41:23No.
00:41:25You never asked my client
00:41:26if he was interested
00:41:26in model aircraft?
00:41:28Well,
00:41:28we didn't find any
00:41:29when we searched
00:41:30the vessel.
00:41:31Oh, but that doesn't mean
00:41:31to say he's not interested
00:41:32in them, does it?
00:41:34No.
00:41:35No.
00:41:37Now,
00:41:38you mentioned that
00:41:38you'd been keeping watch
00:41:39on the Rasputin
00:41:40for some time
00:41:40before this alleged
00:41:41offence took place,
00:41:42yet neither you
00:41:43nor my learned friend
00:41:43have seen fit to produce
00:41:44evidence as to
00:41:45why you did so.
00:41:47Now,
00:41:47is this another secret,
00:41:48Superintendent?
00:41:49The Rasputin
00:41:51is not the type
00:41:52of yacht
00:41:52that normally
00:41:53visits these parts.
00:41:55Rock,
00:41:55the Solent,
00:41:57the Torbay,
00:41:57but not around here.
00:41:59Sir,
00:41:59you had it watched
00:42:00on a whim?
00:42:02If you like.
00:42:03No,
00:42:03I do not like.
00:42:04It is quite wrong
00:42:05that visitors
00:42:05to this country,
00:42:06such as Mr. Wolfe,
00:42:07should be subjected
00:42:08to police surveillance
00:42:09as the result
00:42:10of a whim
00:42:10of a senior officer.
00:42:15Does your Lordship
00:42:16have any questions?
00:42:16No, thank you.
00:42:17I call Lieutenant
00:42:19Scott Temple.
00:42:22What is your religion?
00:42:24Church of England.
00:42:25Take the Bible
00:42:26in your right hand
00:42:27and read aloud
00:42:27the words on this card.
00:42:28I swear by Almighty God
00:42:30that the evidence
00:42:30I shall give
00:42:31shall be the truth,
00:42:32the whole truth
00:42:32and nothing but the truth.
00:42:36Lieutenant Scott Temple,
00:42:38are you the commanding officer
00:42:39of the torpedo gunboat
00:42:40Brave Huntsman?
00:42:41Yes.
00:42:43Now, would you describe
00:42:44to the court
00:42:45the events
00:42:45in the morning
00:42:46and early afternoon
00:42:47of the 4th of October
00:42:48of last year?
00:42:49Yes.
00:42:50On that day,
00:42:51Huntsman was at Rockley Hard
00:42:52where she was
00:42:53undergoing a floating refit.
00:42:55She'd been there
00:42:56about a week.
00:42:57A floating refit?
00:42:59Yes.
00:42:59Her various deck fittings
00:43:01had been removed
00:43:01for renewal and overhaul.
00:43:03The sort of thing
00:43:04that can be done
00:43:05without the expense
00:43:05of putting in dry dock.
00:43:07Nevertheless,
00:43:07Brave Huntsman
00:43:08was seaworthy.
00:43:09Oh, yes.
00:43:10Provider visibility was good.
00:43:11We'd already put to sea
00:43:12the day before
00:43:13to run some acceptance tests
00:43:15on her new
00:43:15hydraulic throttle controls.
00:43:17Yes, and what happened
00:43:18on the 4th of October?
00:43:20Well, at 11.50
00:43:21I received a signal
00:43:22from the police
00:43:23via the captain
00:43:24of Fisheries Protection
00:43:25to put to sea
00:43:26to nab a yacht
00:43:27they were after.
00:43:29A rather splendid
00:43:30American affair
00:43:30which we'd been admiring
00:43:31all week
00:43:32called Rasputin.
00:43:34She had the silhouette
00:43:35of a monk
00:43:35on her transom.
00:43:36Yes, quite.
00:43:36What time did you put to sea?
00:43:38At 1.200.
00:43:39It took me 10 minutes
00:43:40to muster a skeleton...
00:43:41You were told
00:43:41that it was important
00:43:42that the yacht
00:43:43should be apprehended
00:43:44as soon as possible.
00:43:45Oh, yes.
00:43:45We turfed the dockyard
00:43:46workmen off Huntsman
00:43:47and shot out of Rockley Hard
00:43:49like a champagne cork.
00:43:51Fisheries Protection
00:43:52gave us Rasputin's
00:43:53last known position
00:43:54as we left harbour
00:43:55and about 10 minutes later
00:43:57my coxswain spotted her
00:43:58about six miles
00:43:59down the coast
00:44:00on our port beam.
00:44:01He saw her
00:44:01on the radar?
00:44:03No, he was lookout.
00:44:04The radar
00:44:05had been removed
00:44:05for the refit.
00:44:07I doubt very much
00:44:08whether Huntsman
00:44:09would have been used
00:44:10if the visibility
00:44:11had been bad
00:44:11but it's always the same
00:44:13with fishery protection work.
00:44:14They call on anything afloat
00:44:16if the frigate's not around.
00:44:17What did you do
00:44:17when you spotted Rasputin?
00:44:19I headed out to sea
00:44:21having ordered
00:44:22full speed ahead
00:44:23so that I could turn round
00:44:24and head her off
00:44:25in case she tried
00:44:26to run for open water.
00:44:27And what did Rasputin do
00:44:29when she saw you coming?
00:44:30Well, she did just that.
00:44:31Ran for open water.
00:44:33We tried everything
00:44:34to stop her.
00:44:36Flags,
00:44:37slow Morse by all,
00:44:38just lamb telling her
00:44:38to heave to.
00:44:40And we even tried
00:44:41calling her on the ship
00:44:42to ship our tea
00:44:42but either she wasn't listening
00:44:44or was ignoring us.
00:44:46Then she piled on
00:44:48about 20 knots
00:44:48which didn't do her much good
00:44:50as we could do 52
00:44:51and in the end
00:44:52I tried running alongside her
00:44:54and bellowing at her bridge
00:44:55with the loud halo.
00:44:57Couldn't you have fired
00:44:58a shot across a bow?
00:44:59Well, that sort of thing
00:45:00went out years ago
00:45:01but I might have been tempted
00:45:03to do so
00:45:03had I had a gun.
00:45:05It had been unshipped
00:45:06for the refit.
00:45:07But she heaved to eventually.
00:45:09Oh yes,
00:45:09one of the ABs
00:45:10managed to drop her horse
00:45:11over a stern post
00:45:12damn near pulled her transom off
00:45:14and I stopped engines.
00:45:17Then
00:45:18I shouted to the master
00:45:21and told him
00:45:22that I was quite happy
00:45:23to be towed all over the ocean
00:45:24until he ran out of fuel.
00:45:27Someone leaned over the transom
00:45:29and hurled abuse at us
00:45:30with a megaphone
00:45:31but we're used to
00:45:32that sort of thing
00:45:33in the Navy.
00:45:34What time did you
00:45:34eventually stop, Rasputin?
00:45:3612.40.
00:45:37And what did you do next?
00:45:40Well, I didn't have much
00:45:41of a crew
00:45:41in terms of numbers
00:45:42so I decided to go aboard
00:45:44myself with an armed petty officer.
00:45:47We weren't exactly
00:45:48pipes aboard
00:45:49though I did salute
00:45:50the quarter deck.
00:45:52In fact,
00:45:52we found the crew
00:45:53to be somewhat abusive.
00:45:55We made our way
00:45:56to the bridge
00:45:56to pay our compliments
00:45:58to the captain
00:45:58and to ask him
00:46:00to accompany us
00:46:01back to Rockley Hard.
00:46:03He agreed
00:46:04having mentioned
00:46:05something about
00:46:06pirates in uniform
00:46:07and then we asked
00:46:09where the owner was
00:46:10and he suggested
00:46:11we do something
00:46:12or at least
00:46:13go somewhere.
00:46:14Well, as I didn't think
00:46:15we'd find him there
00:46:16we made our way
00:46:18to the owner's stateroom.
00:46:19And who was in that?
00:46:21Oh, that gentleman there.
00:46:23He didn't exactly
00:46:23welcome us either.
00:46:25In fact,
00:46:26he has an excellent
00:46:26command of old
00:46:27English expletives.
00:46:29He told me to do something
00:46:30I consider to be
00:46:31physically impossible.
00:46:32Yes, quite.
00:46:33What was he doing?
00:46:35Well, you won't believe this
00:46:36but he was trying
00:46:37to push a portable television
00:46:39out of a porthole
00:46:40and had got it jammed.
00:46:56The case of the Queen
00:47:16against Wolf
00:47:16will be concluded
00:47:17tomorrow
00:47:18in the Crown Court.
00:47:19The Eagle
00:47:21was on zac
00:47:22and he was flying
00:47:22and he was flying
00:47:23when
00:47:24he got shot
00:47:25and he got a
00:47:25motor
00:47:26can
00:47:27to give
00:47:27him
00:47:28to him
00:47:28and
00:47:29would be
00:47:29czasie
00:47:31to be
00:47:32could be
00:47:33awesome.
00:47:33He's not
00:47:33involved in this
00:47:34under attack.
00:47:37On the 4th of October, Daniel Wolfe, a wealthy American involved in illicit drugs trafficking,
00:48:06attempted to murder the British scientist Edgar Dryden, who was perfecting a technique which used pictures taken from satellites
00:48:14to locate areas of the world where opium poppies are grown for the production of heroin.
00:48:19Wolfe's assassination method was ingenious.
00:48:22Dryden's tracking station was set up on a disused offshore fort called Great Talon.
00:48:28Wolfe landed from his yacht Rasputin on Little Talon, the smaller of two offshore forts, 450 yards from Great Talon,
00:48:35and trained a remote-controlled rifle on a ladder used each day by Dryden.
00:48:40With the aid of a miniature television camera attached to the rifle's sights,
00:48:45Wolfe hoped to kill Dryden from the safety of Rasputin many miles out to sea on his way home to America.
00:48:51The plan misfired, and Rasputin was arrested by a Royal Navy torpedo gunboat.
00:48:56Defence Council is cross-examining the commanding officer.
00:48:59I ask you again, Lieutenant Temple, was my client's motor yacht Rasputin in British territorial waters when you arrested her?
00:49:06Yes, but only just. She was about 300 yards from the limit when we stopped her.
00:49:10300 yards? But you said earlier there's always a chance of making an error when fixing your position.
00:49:15Now, can you be certain that you made no error when you arrested the Rasputin?
00:49:19Well, there is a chance of error at sea, but we were hardly at sea.
00:49:23We were only a few thousand yards off a well-marked coast on a clear day.
00:49:27I was able to take anchored cross bearings on known landmarks.
00:49:30Yes, but can you be 100% certain that you made no error when you fixed your bearings to your chart?
00:49:35I made, no mistake.
00:49:37Before we left Rockley Hard, I'd been requested to take particular care when fixing the position where she'd been arrested.
00:49:43Yes, you said some of Brave Huntsman's deck fixtures had been removed by the dockyard.
00:49:48Had any of your navigational equipment also been removed?
00:49:51Yes, the TACAN beacon and DECA navigator, but that's electronic equipment.
00:49:56I didn't need it on such a clear day and being so near the coast.
00:49:59I was able to apply basic chart navigation, the sort of thing we learned during our first year at college.
00:50:04Yes, but even so, Lieutenant...
00:50:05That will do, Mr. Golding, you've made your point.
00:50:07The witness is not going to change his account of his position.
00:50:12Now, would you please continue?
00:50:14My Lord, regardless of your position at the time of Rasputin's arrest,
00:50:20were you in territorial waters between noon and 15 minutes past noon?
00:50:25Yes.
00:50:26Did you check her position during these times?
00:50:28Well, I was seawater then and bearing down on her.
00:50:31She tried to run for open water by crossing on my quarter, but she wasn't fast enough.
00:50:36We had her under constant observation from 1210.
00:50:39From her speed position and course, she couldn't possibly have been in international waters
00:50:43at those times.
00:50:44And yet she was close to them at the time of her arrest.
00:50:47Well, yes.
00:50:48Yes.
00:50:49And as you've already admitted, that you were carrying a minimum of navigational equipment.
00:50:52I never said anything of the sort of...
00:50:53No, my Lord, my lovely friend, is belabouring a non-existent point.
00:50:56Even if it does exist, it's immaterial whether or not...
00:50:58Mr. Logan.
00:50:59Now, Lieutenant Temple, are you certain that at no time did the Rasputin stray into international
00:51:06waters?
00:51:07Yes, my Lord, I'm absolutely certain.
00:51:10Miss Goldie.
00:51:12Your answer to my learned friend's question suggested that my client's yacht tried to
00:51:16evade arrest.
00:51:17Well, she did.
00:51:17She was doing 22 knots when we caught up with her.
00:51:20That's just about the maximum speed of her hull.
00:51:22The Rasputin's master could not have seen your ensign when you approached her, could he?
00:51:27No, but we called her on the RT.
00:51:30Besides, a naval torpedo gunboat doesn't look like anything but a naval torpedo gunboat.
00:51:35Oh, really?
00:51:36But you said that your gun had been unshipped for the refit.
00:51:38Yes.
00:51:38Yes, and your torpedo tubes.
00:51:40Yes.
00:51:40And your ammunition lockers.
00:51:42Yes.
00:51:43Yes, also two chain pipes, a hydraulic winch, two depth charge throwers, and about four square
00:51:48yards of deck plating.
00:51:49You see, I suggest, Lieutenant Temple, that your torpedo gunboat looked like anything but
00:51:53a torpedo gunboat, and that the master of the Rasputin was fully justified in taking evasive
00:51:58action to avoid being run down by what he considered was a maniac in charge of a very
00:52:02fast boat.
00:52:03Well, that's absurd.
00:52:03We ran alongside him for at least five minutes.
00:52:05Yes, I have no more questions, thank you.
00:52:08Does your Lordship have any questions?
00:52:10No, thank you.
00:52:10Thank you, Lieutenant.
00:52:12That concludes the case for the prosecution, my Lord.
00:52:14When you're ready, Mr. Holden.
00:52:43Thank you, my Lord.
00:52:45I call David Chubb.
00:52:47You are not calling your client?
00:52:51No, my Lord.
00:52:53David Chubb, please.
00:52:55David Chubb, please.
00:52:56What is your religion?
00:53:25Church of England?
00:53:26Church of England.
00:53:26Take the Bible in your right hand and read aloud the words on this card.
00:53:29I swear by mighty God, the evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
00:53:32but the truth.
00:53:34Are you David Chubb of Coast Guard House, Snare Rock Road?
00:53:37Aye.
00:53:38So now are you the Coast Guard Station officer at the Snare Rock Coast Guard Station, Mr. Chubb?
00:53:43Aye.
00:53:44Yes.
00:53:45Now, how long have you been at Coast Guard, Mr. Chubb?
00:53:47Since 45.
00:53:47I've been in it 30 years now.
00:53:52I served as a petty officer on a Corvette in the last lot.
00:53:55Were you on duty at your Coast Guard Station on the 4th of October last year?
00:53:59I was on bell duty till 9, then I went on watch 9 to 1500.
00:54:03Yes, bell duty is...
00:54:04Stand by.
00:54:05I see.
00:54:06So you were on duty during the late morning and the early part of the afternoon?
00:54:09Aye.
00:54:10Now, do you have a good view of the coast from your station?
00:54:13Grandstand view.
00:54:14There wouldn't be much point in building a station there if you didn't, would there?
00:54:17No.
00:54:18How far along the coast can you see on a clear day?
00:54:21Right down to Rockley Hard and the Talon Fort.
00:54:23Yes.
00:54:24Was it clear on the 4th of October?
00:54:26Like crystal.
00:54:27And would you tell the court about anything unusual you saw on that day?
00:54:30Aye.
00:54:31I saw a brave class torpedo gunboat chasing a floating gin palace that the district officer had
00:54:37told us to keep an eye on.
00:54:39Who is the district officer?
00:54:40The old man, my boss.
00:54:42He told me the police were interested in keeping an eye on her.
00:54:44Yes, yes, quite.
00:54:45Now, what happened when the torpedo gunboat chased this gin, this boat?
00:54:50Well, she wasn't fishing, but the Navy had got themselves worked up in a right old state.
00:54:54Thought she was going to ram.
00:54:55What time was this?
00:54:56Forty afternoon, they got the gin palace to heave to.
00:55:01Right old state the Navy were in.
00:55:03You could hear their turbines up in my station.
00:55:05Sound like one of those 707 jets.
00:55:07Yes, indeed.
00:55:08Now, did you have the yacht in view before her arrest?
00:55:12Yeah, followed her right around the coast.
00:55:13We were told to keep an eye on her.
00:55:15I reckon she put out from Rockley Hard.
00:55:17What was the yacht's name?
00:55:19Rasputin.
00:55:20And was she in territorial waters or international waters all the time you saw her?
00:55:26International waters.
00:55:27Just over the limit.
00:55:28All the time.
00:55:29Mr. Chubb.
00:55:33Sir.
00:55:34We have heard in evidence that the Rasputin was in territorial waters before and at the time of her arrest.
00:55:41Begging your pardon, sir.
00:55:42You didn't hear that from me.
00:55:43We heard it from the commanding officer of the torpedo gunboat that arrested her.
00:55:47Well, sir.
00:55:48There you are then.
00:55:49I mean, some of these Navy types today take away that Decker and their bits of boxes of tricks and they're lost.
00:55:56Half of them think the Polestar's a pub.
00:56:01You'll realize that the commanding officer of Brave Huntsman is a full-time serving officer who probably uses navigation techniques as part of his daily routine.
00:56:11Maybe he is, sir.
00:56:12But he doesn't have radar working from a fixed reference point on the coast like I have, has he said?
00:56:16Do you have radar at your station?
00:56:19Aye, sir.
00:56:19Is that standard equipment for a Coast Guard station?
00:56:22Well, it's not common, sir.
00:56:23Not yet.
00:56:25The St. Margaret Station's got it to cover the Straits of Dover as part of the Channel Surveillance Service.
00:56:30Galston on the East Coast have got it.
00:56:32Anywhere where there's a lot of shipping and plenty of navigation hazards, we have it on trial because the sands around our way are always on the move.
00:56:41A heavy storm will put up a new bar overnight.
00:56:44With radar, we can call up ships and warn them when they head in for trouble.
00:56:49Yes, but surely all ships are required to carry accurate charts.
00:56:52Sure, sir.
00:56:53But the Navy Hydrographers Department, who update the charts, can hardly keep up.
00:56:58And most of the coasters plying that stretch don't keep their charts up to date anyway, sir.
00:57:03Can you pinpoint the precise position of a ship near the coast in relation to it?
00:57:08Aye, sir.
00:57:09The coast shows up like a map on the radar display and ships show up as blips.
00:57:13Well, all I did was read off the Gin Palace's position on the radar display and then measure a distance from the coast with dividers.
00:57:23Well, these things, sir.
00:57:24That Gin Palace was never in territorial waters any of the time, no matter what he says.
00:57:33Well, this is utterly absurd.
00:57:35Here we have two obviously competent witnesses and neither of them can agree on the simple question of a ship's position near the coast in Broaddale.
00:57:43With respect, my lord, is the position of the accused yacht at the time of her arrest material?
00:57:48The Talon Forts, where the murder attempt took place, are within the three-mile limit.
00:57:53Eh?
00:57:54Now, what's the matter?
00:57:55Well, what he said just then about the Talon Forts being inside the three-mile limit, maybe they were 25 years ago, but they aren't now.
00:58:04Oh, that's impossible, my lord. I understand the chart shows.
00:58:13Mr. Logan, there are no charts in evidence.
00:58:19Is there a chart?
00:58:22No, my lord, there are none in court.
00:58:25Well, if either you or Mr. Golding wish them to be produced, I'm quite agreeable to your adjournment, Mr. Golding.
00:58:32My lord, it's becoming quite evident that we cannot proceed without these charts.
00:58:36Very well, then. I shall adjourn now. Let me know if you need more than an hour.
00:58:41All stand.
00:58:52My members of the jury.
00:58:56Mr. Chubb has raised two very important points in his evidence.
00:59:00First, his assertion that the accused yacht was outside the three-mile limit before and at the time of her arrest.
00:59:09Second, his statement that the Talon Forts are also outside the three-mile limit.
00:59:15Now, both counsel are agreed that these two points must be cleared up before we can proceed any further.
00:59:20So, in agreement with them, I've asked Mr. Chubb to stand down so that Lieutenant Scott Temple may explain to us his method of fixing the Rasputin's position at the time of her arrest.
00:59:32We'll deal with the Talon Forts later when the chart comes from the Naval Hydrographer's Office at Rockley Hard.
00:59:40Right.
00:59:41See.
00:59:52Land.
00:59:53This line represents the coast.
00:59:56Here we have the snare rock.
01:00:00And here we have a disused lifeboathouse.
01:00:04Over here is a buoy, which is marking a wreck.
01:00:11Now, these are all known marks shown on my chart.
01:00:15I fixed our position as soon as we heaved to.
01:00:18I read off the angle relative to the lifeboathouse with a compass.
01:00:23I made the correction for deviation and variation from true north.
01:00:26And transferred the line onto the chart.
01:00:30Next, I took the bearing from the snare rock.
01:00:33And again, transferred the line onto the chart.
01:00:36Now, that marks my position.
01:00:38But to prove it, I took a third bearing on the buoy.
01:00:43I then measured the distance between my position and the low tide mark.
01:00:47And found it to be 2.6 nautical miles, 0.4 of a mile, inside the three-mile limit.
01:00:55You are absolutely certain of that?
01:00:57Absolutely, my lord.
01:00:59The third bearing line rarely intersects perfectly.
01:01:01It usually misses by a degree or so.
01:01:03And we end up with a sort of triangle here.
01:01:06What we call a cocked hat.
01:01:07But on this occasion, I had a perfect fix.
01:01:09Hmm.
01:01:11Any questions, Mr Logan?
01:01:13No, my lord.
01:01:14Jolie?
01:01:16Thank you, my lord.
01:01:17Yes, now, what instrument did you use to take these bearings?
01:01:25A compass.
01:01:26A magnetic compass?
01:01:28Yes.
01:01:28Isn't it so that a magnetic compass does not point due north?
01:01:32Yes, of course, it points to magnetic north.
01:01:34But I made the necessary corrections for variation.
01:01:37Yes, isn't it also so that the ship itself introduces magnetic error?
01:01:40Its engines and so forth?
01:01:42Yes, but every ship has a deviation card which shows the error for that particular ship.
01:01:46It's read in conjunction with the ship's heading.
01:01:49Every ship has a deviation card which is unique to that ship.
01:01:53It is drawn up when all the ship's machinery is in place.
01:01:57Oh, my God.
01:02:02I think I see what you're driving at.
01:02:03Exactly, Lieutenant Temple.
01:02:05Tell the court, please, just how much of brave Huntsman's machinery was removed for the refit
01:02:09and the effect it would have on her magnetic compass.
01:02:13A gun, torpedo tubes, ammunition lockers, death charge throwers, winches, deck plating.
01:02:22Several tons of ironmongery, wouldn't you say, Lieutenant Temple?
01:02:26Uh, yes, several tons.
01:02:29Yes, enough to make nonsense of your calculations when you applied compass error to fix your position.
01:02:34How far out from your true position were you?
01:02:39Half a mile?
01:02:40A mile and a half?
01:02:41Two miles?
01:02:44I, I don't know.
01:02:47I have no more questions for this witness, my Lord.
01:02:50My Lord, I'm, I'm terribly sorry.
01:02:52I, I forgot that removing the deck equipment would, um, would.
01:03:00I'm sorry.
01:03:00We all make mistakes, Lieutenant.
01:03:04You may sit down.
01:03:07Well, Mr. Logan, all we need now is to establish the position of the Talon Forts.
01:03:13Have you any news of the chart?
01:03:16Uh, no, my Lord, I'm afraid it still hasn't arrived.
01:03:19What in heaven's name?
01:03:23Ah, good.
01:03:26Is that the chart?
01:03:29Yes, sir.
01:03:29You, you want to put it in, Mr. Logan?
01:03:32Yes, my Lord.
01:03:33Very well, then.
01:03:34Let me have a look at it.
01:03:45This is better to be marked Exhibit 8.
01:03:49Uh, just a moment, young lady.
01:03:51Do you work at the Navy hydrographers' office?
01:04:01Yes, sir.
01:04:02Do you know something about charts?
01:04:05Yes, sir.
01:04:05I, I did most of the corrections on that one.
01:04:07Hmm.
01:04:08Sounds as if we have another expert witness to contend with, Mr. Logan.
01:04:11Do you want her formally to produce the chart?
01:04:15Ah, yes, my Lord.
01:04:16Hmm.
01:04:17Right.
01:04:19Swear her in.
01:04:20Yeah, but I didn't know anything about what's going on.
01:04:22So much the better.
01:04:23Swear her in.
01:04:24Oh, look, they only sent me because I've got a motorbike.
01:04:27Here you are.
01:04:27What is your religion?
01:04:33Oh, nothing, really.
01:04:34Let her affirm.
01:04:36Please raise your right hand and read aloud the words on this card.
01:04:40I do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm
01:04:44that the evidence I shall give be the truth, the whole truth,
01:04:47nothing but the truth.
01:04:49Now, what is your name?
01:04:52Gillian, Angela, Fisher.
01:04:55Mm-hmm.
01:04:57And your address?
01:04:58Twelve.
01:05:00The quay side.
01:05:03Rockley Hard.
01:05:04Rockley Hard.
01:05:06Now, you are a trainee tracer at the Navy Hydrographers Office.
01:05:10Yes, sir.
01:05:11And how much longer do you have to do before you finish your training?
01:05:15Another year, sir.
01:05:16Another year.
01:05:18Well, now is your time to dazzle us with your knowledge.
01:05:21Hmm.
01:05:29Yes.
01:05:30I, uh, I think you'd better come up here with me.
01:05:42Up here, beside me.
01:05:44Come on, I won't bite you.
01:05:45Now, would you please point out to me the three-mile limit?
01:05:51Well, it's not marked, sir.
01:05:53What do you mean, it's not marked?
01:05:55This chart is up to date, isn't it?
01:05:57Oh, yes, sir, but we don't mark the three-mile limit,
01:05:59only the 12-mile limit.
01:06:00You see?
01:06:03Yes, there.
01:06:05Oh, I see.
01:06:06Well, perhaps you could tell me whether the Talon Forts are inside or outside the three-mile limit.
01:06:15Oh, yes, sir, but I need a pair of dividers.
01:06:17Hmm.
01:06:17Then borrow mine, if you like, sir.
01:06:19Mm-hmm.
01:06:21See I get them back.
01:06:23If I set the dividers
01:06:32at three miles
01:06:36and place them on the low tide mark
01:06:40on the coastline nearest the Forts,
01:06:45little Talon is just outside the three-mile limit.
01:06:48So is great Talon.
01:06:48Have you anything to say about that, Mr. Logan?
01:06:57It would seem, my lord,
01:06:58that the case for the prosecution
01:07:00was based on out-of-date charts.
01:07:03Why is the three-mile limit not marked?
01:07:06I don't know, sir.
01:07:08Mr. Chubb, can you throw any light upon that?
01:07:11Aye, sir.
01:07:14If ever we need to know where the three-mile limit is,
01:07:16we sit down with a chart and work it out for ourselves.
01:07:19There's a procedure laid down in the fisheries manual, sir.
01:07:23And it's not marked on the Ordnance Survey map?
01:07:25No, sir.
01:07:26So if there is an area of coastal erosion
01:07:28such as there is opposite the Talon Forts,
01:07:31the three-mile limit is constantly changing?
01:07:34Aye, sir.
01:07:35The three-mile limit were originally decided on
01:07:37because that was reckoned to be the maximum range of a cannon.
01:07:40I reckon the Talon Forts were built just on the limit
01:07:44as it was in their day, sir,
01:07:45because they didn't want their cannonballs falling on rockly hard.
01:07:50Well, it's absolutely absurd
01:07:51that although the jurisdiction of this court
01:07:54extends for three miles from the coast,
01:07:56no document appears, apparently,
01:07:59that definitely and adequately marks that boundary.
01:08:01Well, it's not the Navy hydrographers' fault, sir.
01:08:05Their department comes under the Navy
01:08:06and they get the chop as soon as there's any cut in defence spending, sir.
01:08:11I've heard it said that they're being transferred over to us,
01:08:13the Trade and Industry Department, sir.
01:08:16Hmm.
01:08:18Well, it would seem, Mr. Logan, Mr. Golding,
01:08:22that there's very little point in continuing with this farce.
01:08:27I was about to suggest much the same thing, my lord.
01:08:29Mr. Logan.
01:08:30I'm bound to agree, my lord.
01:08:32Well, members of the jury,
01:08:33it has become obvious
01:08:35that the incidents giving rise to this case
01:08:38took place beyond the jurisdiction of this court.
01:08:41What goes on on foreign registered vessels on the high seas
01:08:45is of no concern to this court.
01:08:48And as Learning Counsel for the Prosecution has conceded
01:08:51that the Talon Forts
01:08:53are also outside the jurisdiction of this court,
01:08:57I have no alternative
01:08:59but to direct you to find the accused
01:09:01not guilty of the charges against him.
01:09:03Now, as an American citizen,
01:09:06the accused may have to answer to the American courts
01:09:09for what he does on the high seas,
01:09:12but he is not answerable to this court.
01:09:14Do you find the accused guilty,
01:09:20Daniel Wolfe guilty or not guilty,
01:09:22of attempted murder?
01:09:24My lord,
01:09:25may I ask a question on behalf of my fellow jurors?
01:09:29Yes, by all means.
01:09:31Well, you see, sir,
01:09:32with respect,
01:09:34we thought that the territorial waters
01:09:36extended for 12 miles,
01:09:38not three, sir.
01:09:38The 12-mile limit is only for the purpose of fishery protection.
01:09:43It was introduced a few years ago for that purpose.
01:09:45only in all other respects
01:09:47the three-mile limit stands.
01:09:50Thank you, my lord.
01:09:51Oh, uh,
01:09:52not guilty.
01:09:55Well, I believe you have something to say, Mr. Logan,
01:09:58before I discharge the attuance.
01:10:00Yes, indeed, my lord.
01:10:02Um,
01:10:02a copy for his lordship.
01:10:06It's a deportation order, my lord,
01:10:08signed by the Home Secretary this morning.
01:10:12Now, Daniel Wolfe is to be held in custody
01:10:14and taken to London Airport this evening
01:10:16where he will be placed aboard a plane bound for New York.
01:10:20And I understand that two of his fellow countrymen
01:10:22will act as his travelling companions.
01:10:30Ah, Logan.
01:10:55Ah, who were they?
01:10:58Who?
01:10:58Those two men who were going to act as his travelling companions.
01:11:02Narcotics or FBI?
01:11:04FBI.
01:11:05One of Wolfe's associates
01:11:07had given them enough evidence to nail him for good.
01:11:10Or maybe longer.
01:11:12Justice sometimes works in strange ways.
01:11:15Good night.
01:11:19When it works.
01:11:20All right.
01:11:40Join us again when our cameras return
01:12:03to watch a leading case in the Crown Court.
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