Free Trespass (P.I. Johnson Carmichael Series - Book 2) by Stephen Edger

jury had now reached a verdict on all three charges. Adams wondered whether he should delay resuming court until after lunch but thought better of it and began to put on his robes. By twelve twenty, everyone was seated back in the courtroom and the foreman of the jury was asked to stand and read out the verdicts. There was a resounding cheer when the announcement was made: guilty on all three counts.
    Unanimously.
    Adams watched the defendant as the words were read out, looking for any kind of emotional response from him. He saw Green’s shoulders shrink slightly, and the smirk that he had worn since the first day was now gone, but there was little else to confirm Green had heard what had been said.
    Adams ordered Green be taken back to the holding cells beneath the court until sentencing and once he was gone, he turned to the jury and thanked them sincerely for their careful deliberation, and urged them to consider themselves heroes for taking one more killer and rapist off the streets. Once the jury were dismissed, he declared that they would break for lunch and that sentencing would be later that afternoon.
    Adams returned to his office and, opening his briefcase, he found a small paper bag containing a bacon and stilton roll. His wife had scrawled a handwritten note on the top corner of the bag: I know you’ll do the right thing, all my love!
    He smiled as he read the message. He knew he was lucky to have her.
    He picked up his fountain pen and began to write what would become his sentencing speech.
     
    *
     
    ‘It always frustrates me,’ Adams began, when the court resumed, ‘when someone like you comes before me, Mr Green. Clearly you have come from a good background: your father and brother are present today in the courtroom to lend their support despite your despicable crimes. You have come from a background of privilege, afforded the opportunities that others in the country are not entitled to, and what have you done with it? Squandered it by recklessly breaking the law. You could have been anything you wanted to be, achieved a lifestyle that most would envy, and yet you chose to wilfully turn your back on the chances afforded you in order to pursue a perverse and painful path that would ultimately destroy the lives of the three victims in this case.’
    Adams paused to look into the eyes of Green.
    ‘Your actions in nineteen ninety two were truly horrendous. What drove you to such deplorable deeds is simply beyond me and I fail to understand why you continue to show no remorse for what you have done. The family of Patricia Tropaz will never again be able to watch their daughter, sister and auntie laugh, sing or dance. You are the reason for that. They will now begin to grieve properly but I would confidently suspect that each of them would give anything just to have her back with them once more
    ‘Sarah Hanridge has been so deeply traumatised by the brutal assault you conducted on her that she could not even bring herself to set foot in the same room as you, instead reliving and relaying what happened on that terrible day to a group of strangers so that her words could be heard in this trial. She was a very promising doctor by all accounts but has been forced to turn her back on that vocation, all so that you could satisfy your twisted sexual fantasies. You should understand and consider the cost of your own gratification.
    ‘Cat Jurdentaag has shown immense bravery to stand before you and relive what you did to her. She told with pained resonance how you hand-picked her as a victim and refused to hear her pleas for mercy before you beat, slashed and raped her. She has shown incredible strength to be here but I am sure that her psychological scars are still very fresh and will remain so for some considerable time, if they ever heal. You picked on her like the merciless bully that you are and for that reason I believe that the sentence you receive for your horrid crimes should be suitably severe to adequately