The court room is full for today's trial. Two young men, Simon Clark and
Dan Smith, stand up. The clerk asks, 'Are you guilty of the murder of Mary Jones?' 'Not guilty!' they reply. But perhaps they are guilty. The police found the murder weapon in their stolen car, and there was blood on Simon's face. If the court finds them guilty, they will go to prison for a very long time.
Can the lawyers find out the truth, by asking the right questions? Everyone in court wants to know who murdered Mary Jones, especially her mother, and her boyfriend, Jim. You can help to find the answer, too!
The Murder of Mary Jones
TIM VICARY
INTRODUCTION
This is a court in England. The people in the court are trying to answer a question - did Simon Clark and Dan Smith kill Mary Jones, or not? It is a very important question, because in Britain, murderers usually go to prison for life. You can see a picture of the court on page 2. Simon and Dan are there, with two policemen, the judge, the clerk of the court, two lawyers, and the twelve people in the jury. Witnesses come to the witness box, and the lawyers and the judge ask them questions. The jury do not say anything, but they listen carefully. At the end, they must answer the question - are Simon and Dan guilty of murder, or not guilty?
There are two possible endings to the play, Scene 4 (Alternative 1) and Scene 4 (Alternative 2). Read and discuss them, and decide which you like best.
PERFORMANCE NOTES
Scenes 1 to 4: The courtroom
At the back of the room is the judge's table and chair. In front of this there is a chair and table for the clerk of the court. On the left of the judge's table is a chair for the witnesses (the witness box). In front of the clerk's table is a table with two chairs for the lawyers. Behind this table there are four more chairs for Simon, Dan, and two policemen. On the judge's left there are twelve chairs for the jury. There are more chairs in the room for people to sit and watch.
CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY
The judge;
The clerk of the court;
Ms Helen Wills, the police lawyer;
Simon Clark, a young man;
Dan Smith, a young man, Simon's friend;
Mr David Carter, Simon's and Dan's lawyer;
Jim Wilson, Mary Jones's boyfriend;
PC Norton, a policeman;
Dr Seldon, a doctor;
PC Moran, a policeman;
WPC Gray, a policewoman;
Mrs Lucy Symes;
Janet Nolan, a young woman;
Mrs Jones, Mary's mother;
The jury (twelve people);
The Murder of Mary Jones
SCENE 1
How did Mary die?
The jury, the lawyers, and the clerk of the court come in and sit down. Then Simon Clark and Dan Smith come in with the two policemen. The judge comes in and everyone stands up. The judge walks to his chair, looks at everybody slowly, and then sits down. The people and the lawyers sit down. Simon and Dan, the two policemen, and the clerk are standing up.
CLERK: Simon Clark, you are here because of the murder of Mary Jones. Did you kill her, or not?
SIMON: No, sir. I didn't.
CLERK: And you, Dan Smith? Did you kill Mary Jones?
DAN: No, sir. I didn't. I'm not guilty! SIMON: We didn't kill her!
CLERK: All right. Sit down. (They sit.)
Ms WILLS: (Standing up) My lord, I am Helen Wills, the lawyer for the police. David Carter is the lawyer for Simon Clark and Dan Smith.
JUDGE: Very good. Please begin, Ms Wills.
Ms WILLS: Thank you, my lord. Members of the jury, look at the photo, please. There is a girl in the photo with a young man. She is Mary Jones, and he is Jim Wilson, Mary's boyfriend. (The jury look at the photo.)
JUDGE: Ms Wills, I haven't got that photo.
CLERK: Oh, I'm sorry, my lord. Here you are.
He gives the judge a photo.
JUDGE: Thank you. Please go on, Ms Wills.
Ms WILLS: On 12 August, Mary was in a disco in Trenton with Jim. At midnight, she started to walk home along the road by the sea, and someone killed her.
Now, please look at the second photo.
JUDGE: Excuse me, Ms Wills. (He holds up a photo.) This photo? The photo of a dead girl?
Ms WILLS: Yes, my lord, that's right. I'm sorry, it isn't a very nice photo. But that is Mary Jones, too.
There is blood on her head and face.
JUDGE: Yes, I see. Did someone find her there, that night?
Ms WILLS: Yes, my lord. Jim Wilson found her body on the beach near the road at about half past twelve. He tried to help her, but he couldn't.
Mary Jones was dead.
JUDGE: How did she die, Ms Wills?
Ms WILLS She died because someone hit her four times on the head with a spanner, my lord. Clerk, can I have the spanner, please?
CLERK: Yes, here you are. (He gives her a spanner)
Ms WILLS: Thank you. It was this spanner, members of the jury. Look at it carefully. This spanner has Mary's blood and hair on it. Can you see that?
She shows the spanner to the jury.
JUDGE: Can I see that, please, Ms Wills?
Ms WILLS: Yes, of course, my lord. (She gives it to him.)
JUDGE: Thank you. But who hit her with the spanner,
Ms Wills? That's the important question, you know. Who killed her?
Ms WILLS: Who killed her? It was Simon Clark and Dan Smith, I think.
JUDGE: Why do you think that? Tell the jury, please.
Ms WILLS: Yes, my lord. They were in the disco that evening. They went there in a car, a white Ford Fiesta. It wasn't their car - they stole it.
They often steal cars.
JUDGE: I see. And how long were they there?
Ms WILLS: They were in the disco for two hours.
At about ten o'clock,
Dan danced with Mary Jones. After that, Simon Clark danced with her.
JUDGE: Excuse me, Ms Wills. Did J im see this?
Ms WILLS: Yes, my lord, he did. He was very angry, and he hit Simon. Then he talked to Mary for half an hour, and after that Mary started to walk home alone.
JUDGE: And Jim stayed in the disco?
Ms WILLS: Yes, my lord, he did. But Dan and Simon didn't. They went out, ten minutes after Mary.
They drove away in the Fiesta.
JUDGE: Yes. But did anyone see them kill her? That's important. Ms WILLS: No, no one saw them kill her. But the police found the tyre marks of a Ford Fiesta near Mary's body. And later, they found Dan and
Simon in a white Ford Fiesta in Bilsford.
JUDGE: Where is Bilsford, Ms Wills?
Ms WILLS: Ten kilometres from Trenton, my lord. And in the car there was a spanner. This spanner, members of the jury! With Mary's blood and hair
on it! (She shows the spanner to the jury.) JUDGE: I see. That's very important. (He writes.)
Ms WILLS: Yes, my lord. These two boys followed Mary from the disco in the white Fiesta. They stopped the car, hit her on the head with this spanner, and drove away.
DAN: (Standing up) It's not true! We didn't follow her!
We didn't go down that road! It's not true!
JUDGE: Be quiet, young man! Sit down! You can talk later!
Ms WILLS: I call my first witness, PC Norton.
PC Norton goes to the witness box.
CLERK: (Giving him a book) Take this book in your right hand and read what it says.
NORTON: I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Ms WILLS: PC Norton, what happened on 12 August?
NORTON: Well, at 12.47 a.m. someone telephoned the police and I went to the road by the beach in Trenton. I found a young woman's body there, and a young man. His name was Jim Wilson.
Ms WILLS: I see. Did Jim call the police?
NORTON: Yes, he did. He was Mary's boyfriend, I think.
He tried to help her, but she was dead.
Ms WILLS: Where was the body?
NORTON: It was on the beach near the road. There were some tyre marks in the sand near the body. A car stopped there, and then went back towards
Trenton, I think.
Ms WILLS: Thank you. Wait there, please, and answer Mr Carter's questions. (She sits.)
CARTER: (Standing up) PC Norton, tell me some more about this boyfriend, Jim Wilson. He tried to help the dead girl, you say. Did he have blood on his shirt and trousers?
NORTON Yes, sir, he did. There was blood on his face and hands and on his shirt and trousers too.
CARTER Did you ask him about this?
NORTON Yes, sir. The blood was there because he tried to help her, he said. He sat in my car and started to cry. He loved her, he said.
CARTER I see. But why was Jim on the beach?
NORTON He went for a walk after the disco, he said.
CARTER I see. Thank you very much. (He sits down.)
JUDGE PC Norton, one more question. Were there any cuts on Jim's face or hands?
NORTON: I don't know, sir. There was blood on his face and hands, but it was Mary Jones's blood, I think.
JUDGE: Thank you. That's all. The next witness is Dr Seldon, I think. (Dr
Seldon comes in, and the clerk gives him the book.)
SELDON: I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Ms WILLS: Dr Seldon, you looked at Mary Jones's body.
What did you find?
SELDON: Mary Jones was a young woman of about 18. She died because somebody hit her four times on the head.
Ms WILLS: Thank you. You looked at this spanner very carefully, too. Can you tell us about that, please?
SELDON: Yes. I looked at the spanner and I found blood and hair on it.
The blood and hair were Mary Jones's.
Ms WILLS: Are you sure about that?
SELDON: Yes. They were the same.
Ms WILLS: So did somebody kill her with this spanner?
SELDON: Oh yes. I am sure about that.
Ms WILLS: Thank you. Wait there, please.
Ms Wills sits down, and Carter gets up.
CARTER: Dr Seldon, I want to ask you about Mary Jones's hands. Was there any blood on them?
SELDON: Yes, sir, a lot of blood. I looked at it very carefully and it was her blood. Perhaps she put her hands on her head when the spanner hit her.
CARTER: But was there blood under her fingernails, too?
SELDON: Yes, a little.
CARTER: Did you look carefully at that blood, too?
SELDON: No, I didn't. There was a lot of blood on her hands and it was all her blood. I am sure about that.
CARTER: Yes, but think carefully, doctor. What did Mary do when the man hit her? Did she try to hit him, too? Perhaps she cut his face with her fingernails.
Do girls sometimes do that?
SELDOM: Well, yes, sometimes.
CARTER: So perhaps the man's blood was under her fingernails.