station,’ said Lilly. ‘Every morning and evening, if you want. That way the police will know exactly where he is.’
DI Bell leaned towards Kerry and whispered in her ear.
‘The defendant has family in Pakistan,’ said Kerry.
‘As does every Muslim kid in Luton.’
‘He could easily go there,’ said Kerry. ‘We’d struggle to get him back.’
Lilly didn’t miss a beat. ‘We’ll hand his passport to the Court.’
DI Bell exhaled loudly, showing the magistrate what he thought of Lilly’s argument.
‘I know it’s a hard thing to ask,’ said Lilly, ‘but Raffy is a young boy who has everything going for him. He has no social problems and is doing well at school.’
She could see Mrs Holmes wavering.
‘If he spends the next God-knows-how-many months in custody awaiting trial his life will be ruined.’ She paused for good measure. ‘Everyone in here is well aware of what prison is like and what it does to people. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that if Raffy is acquitted he’ll be able to put the experience behind him.’
Mrs Holmes rolled her pen back and forth with her index finger.
‘You’d give us the passport and sign on every day?’
‘We’ll chuck in a curfew, if that would help,’ said Lilly.
DI Bell groaned. He could see as well as Lilly which way the hearing was going. Lilly bit back a smile.
‘Raffique,’ Mrs Holmes addressed him directly, ‘would you agree to those conditions?’
Raffy got to his feet.
‘You don’t have to stand,’ said Lilly, taking his elbow.
Raffy slapped away her hand with a ferocity that startled her.
‘I do not accept your British laws.’ He pointed at Mrs Holmes. ‘And I do not accept the legality of your courts.’
It was Lilly’s turn to groan.
‘I beg your pardon?’ asked Mrs Holmes.
Raffy threw back his shoulders. ‘You have no jurisdiction over me.’
Anwar jumped to his feet. ‘Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.’
‘Everyone sit down, now,’ ordered Mrs Holmes.
‘Raffy, please.’ Anwar stumbled towards his brother. ‘Tell her you didn’t mean it.’
‘I said sit down,’ Mrs Holmes’s voice was steely.
The guard moved towards Anwar and grabbed his shoulder, the sleeve of his uniform riding up to reveal a bulldog tattoo. He clutched the material of Anwar’s new suit. The force knocked Anwar off his feet and he grasped at the advocates’ desk for ballast, knocking papers and files across the courtroom before falling to the floor.
Raffy sprang over the bench and stood between his brother and the guard. ‘Don’t you touch him.’
A smile spread across the guard’s face as if he couldn’t believe his luck. ‘You want some, do you?’ he snarled.
Raffy didn’t reply but his body language was challenge enough.
The guard took a lunge at him but Raffy dodged backwards. The guard grunted and his nostrils flared.
Fearing her client was about to receive the worst beating of his life, Lilly slid her arm in front of him.
‘Stop this right now.’
‘He started it,’ shouted Raffy, still every inch the petulant teenager, so different from the posturing extremist of moments ago.
‘I don’t care,’ said Lilly. ‘Just move aside now.’
She could feel the muscles of his chest like stone, every sinew taut, against the flimsy barrier of her arm.
‘You,’ she glared at the guard, ‘need to calm down.’
She could see a vein in the man’s thick neck throbbing and his jaw clenched rhythmically She held her breath until the guard took one small step back. Her arm was beginning to ache as she pushed it against her client.
Raffy looked at the guard, a tiny smile playing at the corner of his lips. Don’t you bloody dare, she thought. He muttered something under his breath but Lilly caught it.
‘Pussy.’
The guard heard it too and swung back his arm. Lilly tried to move out of the way. Too late. The punch, aimed at Raffy, glanced off her shoulder and sent her spiralling to
DI Bell leaned towards Kerry and whispered in her ear.
‘The defendant has family in Pakistan,’ said Kerry.
‘As does every Muslim kid in Luton.’
‘He could easily go there,’ said Kerry. ‘We’d struggle to get him back.’
Lilly didn’t miss a beat. ‘We’ll hand his passport to the Court.’
DI Bell exhaled loudly, showing the magistrate what he thought of Lilly’s argument.
‘I know it’s a hard thing to ask,’ said Lilly, ‘but Raffy is a young boy who has everything going for him. He has no social problems and is doing well at school.’
She could see Mrs Holmes wavering.
‘If he spends the next God-knows-how-many months in custody awaiting trial his life will be ruined.’ She paused for good measure. ‘Everyone in here is well aware of what prison is like and what it does to people. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that if Raffy is acquitted he’ll be able to put the experience behind him.’
Mrs Holmes rolled her pen back and forth with her index finger.
‘You’d give us the passport and sign on every day?’
‘We’ll chuck in a curfew, if that would help,’ said Lilly.
DI Bell groaned. He could see as well as Lilly which way the hearing was going. Lilly bit back a smile.
‘Raffique,’ Mrs Holmes addressed him directly, ‘would you agree to those conditions?’
Raffy got to his feet.
‘You don’t have to stand,’ said Lilly, taking his elbow.
Raffy slapped away her hand with a ferocity that startled her.
‘I do not accept your British laws.’ He pointed at Mrs Holmes. ‘And I do not accept the legality of your courts.’
It was Lilly’s turn to groan.
‘I beg your pardon?’ asked Mrs Holmes.
Raffy threw back his shoulders. ‘You have no jurisdiction over me.’
Anwar jumped to his feet. ‘Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.’
‘Everyone sit down, now,’ ordered Mrs Holmes.
‘Raffy, please.’ Anwar stumbled towards his brother. ‘Tell her you didn’t mean it.’
‘I said sit down,’ Mrs Holmes’s voice was steely.
The guard moved towards Anwar and grabbed his shoulder, the sleeve of his uniform riding up to reveal a bulldog tattoo. He clutched the material of Anwar’s new suit. The force knocked Anwar off his feet and he grasped at the advocates’ desk for ballast, knocking papers and files across the courtroom before falling to the floor.
Raffy sprang over the bench and stood between his brother and the guard. ‘Don’t you touch him.’
A smile spread across the guard’s face as if he couldn’t believe his luck. ‘You want some, do you?’ he snarled.
Raffy didn’t reply but his body language was challenge enough.
The guard took a lunge at him but Raffy dodged backwards. The guard grunted and his nostrils flared.
Fearing her client was about to receive the worst beating of his life, Lilly slid her arm in front of him.
‘Stop this right now.’
‘He started it,’ shouted Raffy, still every inch the petulant teenager, so different from the posturing extremist of moments ago.
‘I don’t care,’ said Lilly. ‘Just move aside now.’
She could feel the muscles of his chest like stone, every sinew taut, against the flimsy barrier of her arm.
‘You,’ she glared at the guard, ‘need to calm down.’
She could see a vein in the man’s thick neck throbbing and his jaw clenched rhythmically She held her breath until the guard took one small step back. Her arm was beginning to ache as she pushed it against her client.
Raffy looked at the guard, a tiny smile playing at the corner of his lips. Don’t you bloody dare, she thought. He muttered something under his breath but Lilly caught it.
‘Pussy.’
The guard heard it too and swung back his arm. Lilly tried to move out of the way. Too late. The punch, aimed at Raffy, glanced off her shoulder and sent her spiralling to
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