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| Judge defends her memoir of abuse | Judge defends her memoir of abuse |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A judge has defended her memoir detailing a childhood of cruelty and neglect, which was published in 2006. | |
| Constance Briscoe, a 51-year-old part-time London judge, is being sued for libel by her mother, 74, who claims the work is "a piece of fiction". | |
| Ms Briscoe's memoir, called Ugly, says she was beaten with a stick by her mother, punched and regularly kicked. | Ms Briscoe's memoir, called Ugly, says she was beaten with a stick by her mother, punched and regularly kicked. |
| Her mother, Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell, said the book amounts to "nonsense" and is suing Ms Briscoe and her publishers. | Her mother, Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell, said the book amounts to "nonsense" and is suing Ms Briscoe and her publishers. |
| Mrs Briscoe-Mitchell's counsel, William Panton, told a High Court jury his client was not merely accusing her daughter of exaggerating events, but denies them entirely. There were opportunities to complain about ill-treatment - if that ill-treatment had in fact taken place William Panton, counsel for Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell | |
| Mr Justice Tugendhat has instructed the jury to read the memoir as part of their duties. | |
| He told the jury that it is up to Ms Briscoe and publishers Hodder and Stoughton Ltd to establish that the abuse detailed in the book was true. | He told the jury that it is up to Ms Briscoe and publishers Hodder and Stoughton Ltd to establish that the abuse detailed in the book was true. |
| Mrs Briscoe-Mitchell, a mother of 11, maintains she worked hard to raise her family, often without their father, working as a dressmaker. | Mrs Briscoe-Mitchell, a mother of 11, maintains she worked hard to raise her family, often without their father, working as a dressmaker. |
| Her counsel told the jury Ms Briscoe's siblings will support her assertion that she provided for her children as best she could and treated them equally. | Her counsel told the jury Ms Briscoe's siblings will support her assertion that she provided for her children as best she could and treated them equally. |
| He told the jury that despite the severity of the allegations made in the book, Ms Briscoe did not complain to police, social services or teachers. | He told the jury that despite the severity of the allegations made in the book, Ms Briscoe did not complain to police, social services or teachers. |
| "There were opportunities to complain about ill-treatment - if that ill-treatment had in fact taken place," Mr Panton said. | "There were opportunities to complain about ill-treatment - if that ill-treatment had in fact taken place," Mr Panton said. |
| Ms Briscoe's counsel, Andrew Caldecott, told the jury to remember his client was a child at the time. | Ms Briscoe's counsel, Andrew Caldecott, told the jury to remember his client was a child at the time. |
| He said she wrote the book knowing she would have to be prepared to prove the allegations contained in the memoir. | He said she wrote the book knowing she would have to be prepared to prove the allegations contained in the memoir. |
| "Constance Briscoe says she was the victim of sustained cruelty when she was a child and she says she was the victim of serious neglect when she was a child. She chose to say it. She has to prove it." | "Constance Briscoe says she was the victim of sustained cruelty when she was a child and she says she was the victim of serious neglect when she was a child. She chose to say it. She has to prove it." |
| Ms Briscoe, one of Britain's first black female judges, has since written a second memoir, called Beyond Ugly. | Ms Briscoe, one of Britain's first black female judges, has since written a second memoir, called Beyond Ugly. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |