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‘She could of course quote froest

‘Why not?’ says Tony ‘But let’s proceed slowly, step by step’

‘Not so quickly, leap by leap’

Tony then removes some papers from his briefcase, and tells ed toainst sentence, and another against conviction

Tony would givethe verdict overturned if it were not for the ‘Archer’ factor ‘If you weren’t involved it would be thrown out without a second thought There wouldn’t even have been a trial in the first place’ He puts the odds even higher on getting the sentence reduced Mr Justice Potts’s comment that mine was the worst exaal profession with raised eyebrows

We then turn to the subject of the prison diary, of which I have now co to coetting the script through to Alison, rehtest-security prison in Europe I re two to three hundred letters a day, and the censors allow me to turn the, so another ten handwritten pages aren’t causing the censor any concern

‘Which reminds me,’ I continue, ‘could you ask James to wear a cheap watch the next tiines’ I hadn’t for amy favourite watch on the day of the verdict, and after twenty years I’d be sorry if it was stolen James has hankered after it for some time and has already asked me to leave it to him in my will ( as I can have the watch,’ Ja that particular slireed to the deal as he considers the overall arrangement very satisfactory

‘I think you’d better wait until you’ve left Bel watches,’ advises Tony ‘And then only when you can be sure that the regulations are a little more relaxed’

We coal matters, and as he can’t escape until the hour is up, we turn our thoughts to the World Athletics Cha my summer holiday with Michael Beloff Tony tells old in the triple jump

‘He won easily,’ Tony adds, ‘clearing nearly eighteen old in Sydney that I doubt if he will be beaten before the next Olympics at Athens in 2004, and even Mr Justice Potts won’t be able to stop you being there to witness that’

When the prison officer returns to open the door on Tony’s side of the room, I leave hi out the Kurdish debacle, so that my D-cat can be reinstated as quickly as possible I also add that I do not require any lawyers to travel to Norfolk at vast expense They can relay ht as any of therees and shakes hands He has the hands of a heavyweight boxer, and I suspect he’d survive well in prison They release him, but as I don’t have a yellow band around my wrist, I slump back into the seat on the other side of the table and wait

12 noon

In the lunch queue – always a great place to catch up on the gossip – Fletch briefs me on Joseph’s problem I now understand why he couldn’t pot a ball on the pool table this hetti vegetarian’, which is disguised to look like bolognaise

‘Au gratin?’ I suggest

‘Of course, rated Parrated cheese is produced from under the hotplate, opened in front of the duty officer and sprinkled over e round of applause frohter from the officers In a lifer’s day, this is an event