Page 128 of Dissection of a Murder
In he comes, to the dock. Gone is the self-assured, almost-confident man we’ve seen throughout this process. Jack looks like a man about to lose everything. I see the fear in his eyes from four benches away. I say nothing to him, only nod, which I hope expresses that whatever happens, I’m here. It will be OK.
The jury bailiff brings the jurors in through a door at the side of the dock. I do not turn to look at them. If I do, I’ll make all kinds of assumptions about what their verdict is. I concentrate on looking straight ahead, as a barrister should. My heart feels about to burst, but I maintain a cool exterior.
“All rise!” the usher yells, at which point the judge walks onto the bench.
Court is silent.
“Before we begin, I would like to say now that any outbursts from anyone in the next few minutes will not be tolerated. Those causing trouble will be removed immediately.”
The court clerk asks the jury foreman to stand. A man wearing black-rimmed glasses rises. He clasps his hands together and clears his throat.
He’s about to change all of our lives.
63
Leila
R v Jack Millman
Day 3
4:28 p.m.
“Have you reacheda verdict upon which you’re all agreed?”
“Yes.”
“On count one, a charge of murder, what is your verdict?”
Time stops. The longest eternity, packed into a single moment.
“Not guilty.”
I feel as if I black out for a few seconds.
I come round quickly to Davina shaking my shoulders and whispering, “Well done!” into my ear. Turning to see Jack, he is as shocked as I am. He stares back as me in sheer disbelief.
People mutter and whisper, filling the courtroom with sounds I’m not sure how to interpret. Out of the corner of my eye I see Julian throw a pen down onto the bench, which bounces onto the floor. His left leg taps repeatedly on the floor, something he does when he’s highly agitated.
The judge addresses the jury and thanks them for their consideration on what has been a difficult case.
They returned a verdict within hours. A unanimous verdict. I placed enough doubt about the prosecution’s case inall of their heads. How on earth did that happen?
“Mr. Millman, please stand,” the judge says. “You’ve been found not guilty of murder. You are free to leave.”
Just like that. All the months Jack has been held without bail, suddenly cast aside. He is a free man.
Leaving court, I’m swarmed by colleagues who offer their congratulations on a stunning win. It feels surreal.
This time, we meet Jack not in the cells, but in a conference room. No handcuffs, no security guard. We sit beside him, and I can see he’s shaking.
“It’s over,” I tell him, aware he likely needs to hear it again. That it hasn’t sunk in yet. “You can move on with your life.”
“Thank you,” he says. “I know it wasn’t the way you usually run things.”
“It worked out well in the end.”
“You too, Davina—thank you.”
