UKC

Let's hope so, certainly. Although I suppose 'his' isn't really a pronoun, is it. A possessive adjective, possibly? Anyway, ingenious explanation for the 'do his phone' instruction.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/dec/13/any-coulson-email-news-world...

It just goes to show how important grammar is in life. And for that matter, clarity in choice of vocabulary. Of course, it's easy to see how 'do' might be shorthand for 'check the billing records of', but you can see how the prosecution might have got the wrong end of the stick, can't you?! It's all very unfortunate for the poor chap.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:
Cool, he could get work prividing pro athletes with excuses for being caught up to their eyeballs on drugs.



Toby

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I wonder how many times his lawyer had to practice saying that in front of the mirror so they could remain looking serious.

In reply to dissonance:

Yeah, I don't buy it and I doubt any juror will either. why not just say phone bill instead of truncating it to just 'phone'?

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Or indeed 'Mr Singh's' instead of 'his', what with the email being all about Mr Best and not at all about Mr Singh.

It was awfully bad luck for Coulson that, totally unbeknownst to him of course, the recipient misunderstood and went out and hacked Mr Best's phone. It's difficult to see how poor AC could have foreseen that.

jcm

In reply to dissonance:

Barristers are very good at that. The best example I've seen was when the procedure was changed a few years ago so that barristers have to explain to the court why their own fees are justified. Our chap had charged us something like £1,500 for a 30 minute hearing (so be sure, there was preparation), and the straight face with which he was able to describe this to the Master as 'extremely modest, Master, extremely modest' was something I admired greatly, at least as a matter of professional achievement.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

But we've been here before with the First Black President.

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Fortunately this bloke won't hang, whatever the outcome.
Derek Bentley was not so lucky regarding ambiguity.

In reply to Toby_W: