Nigeyb’s Reviews > The Trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover > Status Update

Interesting how contemporary some of the points raised in the prosecution and the judge’s summing ups seem. The point about experts echoes Michael Gove’s assertion during the EU referendum. In essence, ignore experts. Likewise, some points appear very much like a nanny state, we cannot trust individuals to understand literature, and draw their own conclusions. We must protect them from potentially depraved material.

There was no doubt that the prosecution and the Bench were flabbergasted to be hearing what they heard. The views of apparently respectable professional men and women. Chaos it must have seemed to Mr Justice-Byrne, had come again

By now the bench and the prosecution were seen to have spun them selves into the old fallacy: a book dealing with immorality is an immoral book. It is neither Law nought logic, but it is an easy web for jurors to get lost in.

Dame Rebecca West was not cross examined. Witnesses of sufficient eminence,or who have shown a deal of character, were not likely to be cross examined. They might boomerang. The prosecution left well enough alone.

And that was why in this case nearly all the witnesses scored so heavily. They had come (at their own expense and risk) because they felt it their duty to do so; they were people of patent honesty and honour, people of splendid goodwill ... and, of course, considerable abilities