Two cheese sandwiches, whose non-appearance at court halted an Old Bailey murder trial in its tracks, at an estimated cost of u18,000 to the taxpayer. Securicor officers said they had no time to provide sarnies because of manpower problems. Two men accused of murder said their dodgy stomachs prevented them eating the microwave meals provided by the court and refused to leave their cells until the sandwiches appeared. Other prisoners joined the sit-in protest. Eventually a High Court ruling was obtained from Mr Justice Rix, against the Home Secretary and the Lord Chancellor's Department, ensuring that cheese sandwiches go back on the menu. Defence counsel Sibghat Kadri QC, said the lack of sandwiches raised an important matter of human rights.
Four senior Zimbabwean judges. President Robert Mugabe used the joyful occasion of his 75th birthday celebrations to demand the resignation of the High Court judges, after they spoke out against the illegal detention and torture of two journalists who reported a suspected military coup.
Cohabiting couples. They are up to four times more likely to split up than those who marry, according to Government research presented to the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine. Couples who live together while planning their wedding also face a bleak future because they lack the commitment necessary to make marriage work, say the researchers.
