It had been a long morning full of questions and testimony. By this point, Grace had shed the last of her nerves. Things were going well, in her less than humble opinion and after hearing all the testimonies, the budding barrister felt the case had been well enough made.
All that remained was the closing statement.
In contrast to her opening statement, nothing in her shook now. She gave her client a confident look as she rose to address everyone gathered.
“Distinguished members of the council, the morning we’ve just had leaves little to be said, yet the law requires thoroughness.” Comfortable and confident as she felt, it wasn’t any reason to rest on her laurels. Not all the members looked swayed. There were some that stilled looked upon Mr. Barlowe with a sceptical eye. It was her last chance, she realised, to sway them in particular.
“Mr. Laurence has the right of it. When we consider the crime of second-degree murder, it can never be as simple as whether the person has died. Motive matters. The circumstances must be carefully scrutinised, otherwise we wouldn’t be here at all.”
There wasn’t a single testimony that hadn’t confirmed in some way that her client was the one to get it done.
“This is not a matter for light deliberation; this is a man’s life hanging in the balance and the precedence this court runs the risk of setting. When we send our professors off to the countryside with our children, we would hope that the moment disaster strikes they will be prepared to step forward—to be a shield between our children and harm. This wasn’t a man seeking a thrill, just one who realised the gravity of the situation and made a difficult call. In the future? How many professors will be so willing to do what must be done if they know they’ll immediately be dragged before the counsel and shipped off to a lonely rock out at sea? Is this how we support those who protect the most vulnerable? I’d like to think not.”
It would be unfortunate to suddenly have professors running the other way but she could very well see it happening.
Likewise, Mr. Laurence has struck another important point. You may not have liked the spell, but the law doesn’t require you to; it only requires proportionality to what the danger being faced. Death was the only outcome once Thayer arrived in that tower. The only question was whose. So as you go off to deliberate, I ask that you consider reality vs. a textbook practicality, the human condition and what it must have taken for Mr. Barlowe to override his own wellbeing—knowing the trouble such a spell could land him in—for the sake of those girls, and whether you can look the letter of the law in the face and say it was broken.
A man died, yes, but this was no act of murder. It was chivalry and self-defense. Thank you.”
All that remained was the closing statement.
In contrast to her opening statement, nothing in her shook now. She gave her client a confident look as she rose to address everyone gathered.
“Distinguished members of the council, the morning we’ve just had leaves little to be said, yet the law requires thoroughness.” Comfortable and confident as she felt, it wasn’t any reason to rest on her laurels. Not all the members looked swayed. There were some that stilled looked upon Mr. Barlowe with a sceptical eye. It was her last chance, she realised, to sway them in particular.
“Mr. Laurence has the right of it. When we consider the crime of second-degree murder, it can never be as simple as whether the person has died. Motive matters. The circumstances must be carefully scrutinised, otherwise we wouldn’t be here at all.”
There wasn’t a single testimony that hadn’t confirmed in some way that her client was the one to get it done.
“This is not a matter for light deliberation; this is a man’s life hanging in the balance and the precedence this court runs the risk of setting. When we send our professors off to the countryside with our children, we would hope that the moment disaster strikes they will be prepared to step forward—to be a shield between our children and harm. This wasn’t a man seeking a thrill, just one who realised the gravity of the situation and made a difficult call. In the future? How many professors will be so willing to do what must be done if they know they’ll immediately be dragged before the counsel and shipped off to a lonely rock out at sea? Is this how we support those who protect the most vulnerable? I’d like to think not.”
It would be unfortunate to suddenly have professors running the other way but she could very well see it happening.
Likewise, Mr. Laurence has struck another important point. You may not have liked the spell, but the law doesn’t require you to; it only requires proportionality to what the danger being faced. Death was the only outcome once Thayer arrived in that tower. The only question was whose. So as you go off to deliberate, I ask that you consider reality vs. a textbook practicality, the human condition and what it must have taken for Mr. Barlowe to override his own wellbeing—knowing the trouble such a spell could land him in—for the sake of those girls, and whether you can look the letter of the law in the face and say it was broken.
A man died, yes, but this was no act of murder. It was chivalry and self-defense. Thank you.”
