The Grand Old Nonce of York: Andy's trial is GO

[Ferris]

She has presumably turned down several settlement offers throughout this process, so it would be unusual to go through that just to accept a later (albeit likely much larger) settlement offer so my assumption is she wants to see it through.

Hope so anyway. Would a guilty verdict prompt the Met to investigate? No, obviously, but still.

[touchingcloth]

Be great if it turns out her request to reach a settlement is 5 drops of ducal sweat.

[steve98]

There is, of course, the possiblity that Guiffre wants her day in court.

Some day her Prince will come.

[Alberon]

He already did. That's the problem.

[jobotic]

Who will the BBC be told to interview now?

[jobotic]

He's only fucked if his mum dies before the trial verdict.

[Dr Rock]

Your Honour, I simply couldn't have had sex with Ms Giraffe because on the dates in question I simply didn't have a penis. You see I'd picked up this rare disease whilst touring the commonwealth or something, and my penis simply fell off. I carried on without it for years, until it finally grew back last week. Can I go home now?

[mothman]

It just beggars belief that he'd try the Pizza Express alibi with not one shred of evidence offered as corroboration. Unless he's saving it for the trial.

[checkoutgirl]

b) have his day in court

This will not happen. Is it even possible to get a royal into court? I mean a directly related to the queen royal? Has that ever even happened?

The choices are

a) Pay her off
b) Jet him off to some non extradition country and wait it out

If she won't take a settlement which is hard to judge because nearly everyone has a price and the royals have a fair few bob, but if she won't settle and go away then Andy will go away. It would be embarrassing for the royals but I can't see Andy in court because that would be even more embarrassing with the added threat of some sort of conviction.

Having said all that, the cynic in me wouldn't be surprised if it never even gets that far and the establishment makes it go away somehow. They'll find a way I'm sure. If Jimmy Savile can die scot free surely the queen's son will be sorted out.

Nod's as good as a wink to a blind bishop.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

What if he's found guilty but they sentence the queen to death instead, she'll hit the roof!

[TrenterPercenter]

This will not happen. Is it even possible to get a royal into court? I mean a directly related to the queen royal? Has that ever even happened?

Yes, when we cut one of their heads off.

The choices are

a) Pay her off
b) Jet him off to some non extradition country and wait it out

Yes b) likely - I imagine turn of poor mental health from all of the stress and a retiring from public life.

It would be embarrassing for the royals but I can't see Andy in court because that would be even more embarrassing with the added threat of some sort of conviction.

It is a civil court so its liability for compensation he won't get a criminal conviction - so yes I imagine she will be made an offer that greatly outweighs any damages that could be awarded and most likely will take it.  I suppose people could crowdfund her to pursue the actual case.

[checkoutgirl]

Andy offers £10,000,000 to settle

It will be in the tens of millions. It's so high profile and the defendant's family have deep pockets. The interesting thing for me is does she have the resolve to refuse ever bigger piles of cash? Her own team, husband and family might be pressuring her to take the deal because it would be life changing money, set up her kids college funds etc etc.

On the other hand she's been hunting Andy down like a dog for years now. It seems she's almost single handedly kept the pressure on Andy, doing interviews, filing lawsuits, keeping this on the agenda and drawing attention to it. Did she do all that just for a bonanza pay off that would change her life forever? Or does she want to go all the way and get that piece of shit in the dock to answer for his crimes?

It's fascinating from her side and hilarious from the royal family side. The dream scenario is she refuses any settlement and Andy gets a summons. The problem with that is the royal family have helicopters, loads of money and possibly influence and sympathy in the establishment.

Andy will be a tricky target to get into court.

[jobotic]

AND WE'RE PAYING

[Dr Rock]

It just beggars belief that he'd try the Pizza Express alibi with not one shred of evidence offered as corroboration. Unless he's saving it for the trial.

Your Honour I had plenty of evidence placing me at Woking Pizza Hut on the day in question. Photos, witness testimony, drone footage, yet by chance I angered a wizard and he magicked all memory of that day from existence, like in that new Spider-Man film. These things happen.

[touchingcloth]

It would be incredibly convenient to the royal family if Andy had a little accident in his Land Rover and all the evidence was scoffed by corgis.

[steve98]

"Anhydrosis", they call it: the inability to sweat... you see Emily  (I've never spoken of this before)... When I was at Gordonstoun aged 8, Mummy came to visit, She inspected our dormitory and - for no reason - some of the rough boys started chanting "Sweaty Betty, Sweaty Betty", at Her. Some oafish ditty. I was mortified. Mortified, deeply hurt and indeed traumatized... I'm sorry, can we stop for a moment?

[dissolute ocelot]

He doesn't actually have to go to the trial. The most likely outcome is he'll become an international pariah who can never leave the UK in case he's arrested or his assets are seized. This would not be a good outcome for the people of Britain.

[Alberon]

I'm sure Kirstie Wark managed a right verbal clanger at the start of Newsnight just now. At the start she trailed the Boris Johnson story and then I'm sure she said something along the lines of the 'sexual assault charges against Prince Charles'.

[Ferris]

It will be in the tens of millions. It's so high profile and the defendant's family have deep pockets. The interesting thing for me is does she have the resolve to refuse ever bigger piles of cash? Her own team, husband and family might be pressuring her to take the deal because it would be life changing money, set up her kids college funds etc etc.

On the other hand she's been hunting Andy down like a dog for years now. It seems she's almost single handedly kept the pressure on Andy, doing interviews, filing lawsuits, keeping this on the agenda and drawing attention to it. Did she do all that just for a bonanza pay off that would change her life forever? Or does she want to go all the way and get that piece of shit in the dock to answer for his crimes?

It's fascinating from her side and hilarious from the royal family side. The dream scenario is she refuses any settlement and Andy gets a summons. The problem with that is the royal family have helicopters, loads of money and possibly influence and sympathy in the establishment.

Andy will be a tricky target to get into court.

It isn't either/or though. If she goes through court and Andy's watertight defence of sweatless pizza express falls through, she wins the case and gets a payday anyway.

I don't think she's in it for the money though, because she would have taken a settlement quietly and the whole thing would be over already if she was. I hope she sticks it to him and he has to go under oath and talk about how he can't sweat and his enjoyable afternoon in Woking (that nobody else has any recollection of).

I also doubt he'll be whisked off to Belize as a fugitive from justice. It's a civil court - worst, worst case for The Firm is he's found guilty and his mum pays out lots of taxpayer money but he's not going to prison for it and the public seem determined to keep funding them every year so there will be more cash in the coffers soon. Having him unable to leave the UK or on the lam in Malawi makes him look just as guilty so it's exactly the same PR disaster, except it goes on for much longer because it hangs over him (and the rest of them by extension) rather than the (hypothetical) "over and done with" guilty verdict.

[bgmnts]

Not only are we paying tax to support regal scroungers, but NONCE scroungers! Arent they the two groups of people Joe public hates the most?

[idunnosomename]

What if he's found guilty but they sentence the queen to death instead, she'll hit the roof!

she's 95, she'll be delighted

[gib]

I don't think she's in it for the money though, because she would have taken a settlement quietly and the whole thing would be over already if she was.

i have no idea if she's in it for the money but i imagine she could write an international bestseller that would be worth a few bucks

[Clatty McCutcheon]

I also doubt he'll be whisked off to Belize as a fugitive from justice. It's a civil court - worst, worst case for The Firm is he's found guilty and his mum pays out lots of taxpayer money but he's not going to prison for it and the public seem determined to keep funding them every year so there will be more cash in the coffers soon. Having him unable to leave the UK or on the lam in Malawi makes him look just as guilty so it's exactly the same PR disaster, except it goes on for much longer because it hangs over him (and the rest of them by extension) rather than the (hypothetical) "over and done with" guilty verdict.

It's not a case of being found guilty or not guilty as it's a civil case leading to an award of damages rather than a criminal case brought by the state. The standard of proof required is less than a criminal case though - she only needs to establish that it's more likely than not that he did what she alleges, rather than proved beyond reasonable doubt.

There was a case in Scotland a few years ago where rape charges were dropped against a footballer, but his victim was successful in a civil case against him because the standard of proof is lower. The principle is similar here.

I haven't really read up on the Giuffre case in great detail, but AFAIK it's based on similar principles of harm being caused by one person to another as you might have in, say, a personal injury action, except that the actions being alleged of our beloved prince are deliberate ones rather than negligent/reckless ones. Also, they are actions that also happen (if the state thinks it can meet the evidential standard to prove it) to be criminal offences.

[bgmnts]

There was a case in Scotland a few years ago where rape charges were dropped against a footballer, but his victim was successful in a civil case against him because the standard of proof is lower. The principle is similar here.

Not 100% but didnt this same thing happen with OJ?

[Clatty McCutcheon]

Not 100% but didnt this same thing happen with OJ?

I think it did, yeah.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

Whatever happens the press will paint her as a money-grubbing liar out to slander Andy's good name etc.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Queen dies then Andrew gets Diana'd.

Who's going to order the hit if the queen's dead? I don't think you've thought this through.

[Ferris]

Not 100% but didnt this same thing happen with OJ?

Yeah it did - it's how the family took ownership of his "If I Did It" book and were able to change the title page to obscure the "if" (either by colour or making it really small) so they could print his face with "I Did It" written underneath.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Who's going to order the hit if the queen's dead? I don't think you've thought this through.

Ehhh... Prince Phillip obvs rofl.

[Dr Rock]

Whatever happens the press will paint her as a money-grubbing liar out to slander Andy's good name etc.

I don't think the press is going to risk defending Andrew when it's obvious
(Removed -BAdmin)