Capítulo 20 de 27 · 2'51"
Myers doesn't attack Christine's story so much as her right to tell it. He lists every lie — her marital status, the authorities, her wedding vows, the police — then lands the question: 'were you lying then, are you lying now?' Sir Wilfrid protests she is being bullied; the judge grants the defence 'every latitude', and Myers keeps cutting.
Myers Catches Christine in Her Lies
Judge Grants the Defence Every Latitude
Back in the witness box, Christine — addressed as Frau Helm — faces the prosecutor Myers. He takes her through a string of admitted lies: she lied about being married when she met Leonard in Hamburg, lied to the authorities to arrange the marriage, lied in her wedding vows, and lied to the police about how Leonard cut his wrist. Then he asks whether she is lying now.
The prosecution is not trying to convict Leonard here — it is demolishing its own witness. By making Christine admit lie after lie, Myers turns her into a woman whose word means nothing, so that whatever she says in Leonard's favour can be ignored. 'Or are you not, in fact, a chronic and habitual liar?!' he thunders, and when Sir Wilfrid complains that the witness is being bullied, the judge rules that on a capital charge the defence must have 'every latitude.' Myers then raises perjury and its heavy penalty, and Christine answers with 'So help me, God.' Her credibility is destroyed on the record, which is exactly what the Crown wants: a witness no jury will believe.
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
“The question is, Frau Helm, were you lying then, are you lying now?”
The then-and-now contrast traps the witness: whichever answer she gives, she stands condemned.
Formal
“Or are you not, in fact, a chronic and habitual liar?!”
Stacking chronic and habitual turns an insult into a formal accusation of character.
Formal
“In this country we are inclined to take a rather more serious view of marriage.”
A polite national remark does the insulting: her view of marriage is quietly called shallow.
Formal
“My lord, is my learned friend to be allowed to bully and insult the witness?”
He attacks without attacking, asking the judge to stop the bullying of a witness.
Formal
Siguiente · 21shed new light onLa escena: Sir Wilfrid Calls Leonard VoleShe was called by the prosecution, but her evidence turns hostile to their case. Destroying her credibility means the jury will ignore anything she says that helps Leonard.
He rules that this is a capital charge, so the defence — and by extension forceful questioning — must be given 'every latitude' within reason, even if the questioning is harsh.
It is a warning: if she keeps changing her story under oath, she can be prosecuted herself. The threat is meant to freeze her into one version for good.
It is the formal end of the oath, reaffirming that her evidence is true. Coming after a string of admitted lies, it sounds less like piety than defiance.
Frau Helm is Christine under her German married name. The court uses it because her legal marriage to Leonard is exactly the point Myers is using against her.
