Chapter Forty-four
Matthew’s attention to the closing addresses was also a type of final preparation for his upcoming admission to the bar. It was one thing to be clever in cross-examination or to be continuously alert throughout the trial, always ready to object and press their client’s case, but it was another thing altogether to make an impassioned speech to the jury. Matthew acknowledged that this was Oscar’s area of expertise, and he looked forward to the performance of the aged barrister.
The address by Del Assandro came first, and was impartial in the extreme. A prosecutor technically has an obligation to present the Crown evidence calmly, test the defence case fairly, and then leave the issue to the jury with no interest in the outcome. In reality, the majority of prosecutors get
