At two thirty on the dot, Justice Alfred Bowman entered the courtroom. He was dressed all in red. His red robe and his red head wig made his eyes look like fire to those who looked directly at them. They were few. He bowed as expected and sat down with ease. Everybody else followed suit. The court was in session.
The court clerk placed a red file on his table. Mr. Bowman perused the file for some few minutes and then took a red pen from his robe pocket. He wrote something in that file. He then raised his head with calculated deliberateness and looked directly at the prosecutor.
“Now this is the judgment for the three accused person’s and I am ready to read it, unless there is something whatsoever, to stop me from doing so.”
“Your honour, I being the prosecutor in this case, the accused persons and the entire court do hereby assure you that we are ready to hear the judgment. We therefore find this to be the most convenient time for you to do so. Thank you your honour.” The
prosecutor pompously said.
The prosecutor, as he sat down was smiling. He was confident that he had won that particular case. He then looked at the dock where the three accused persons were and that smile varnished. He pretended to regret whatever was going to happen to the three accused persons. All the same, he consoled himself with the fact that he was not there when they committed the said offences. His was only to dig for truth. And he had done it. Whether correctly or not, it was all there in the judgment and not with him. After all that was what he was employed to do.
“Tell the three accused persons to stand up” Mr Bowman said politely as if he was preparing to baptize them. The court clerk stood up and went near the dock. He called them each by name and ordered them to stand up. Their faces told it all. That is, whatever was awaiting them was not good at all. Not only them alone, but also their relatives who had turned up to hear the final verdict. In fact, apart from the three, the Magistrate, the prosecutor and the Court Clerk, the rest wore very sad faces. Their fears could be noted clearly. All the same, none knew that, after that particular
judgment, some would be left unconscious. That afternoon.
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