A translation company in Lancashire has revealed that it was approached to provide interpreters for Harry Redknapp’s tax evasion trial at Southwark Crown Court.
In a bizarre move, the Court considered using interpreters from Transcription Global to assist the jury in reaching a decision, despite the fact that Redknapp is English. The Tottenham Hotspur manager, who was born and raised in East London and has a strong Cockney accent, was acquitted of tax evasion charges brought against him and former Portsmouth owner Milan Mandaric.
After many consultations, the court decided against the use of interpreters to translate Redknapp’s statements, and instead, the jury were instructed to watch episodes of Only Fools and Horses before the trial to familiarise themselves with the regional dialect and to understand elements of Cockney rhyming slang. Speaking this afternoon, one of the jury members was heard saying that although Redknapp was a ‘plonker’ to accept the money, the judge’s final decision does ‘make sense’.
As he spoke to press on the steps of the Court after his trial, onlookers managed to make out the following words from Redknapp: ‘My family … have really pulled through it these last five years that this has been hanging over us,” he told reporters on the steps of the court. “I’m really just looking forward to getting home … It really has been a nightmare, I’ve got to be honest.’
It is not clear whether interpreters from Transcription Global will be used for the upcoming racism trial of Chelsea defender John Terry.
This is a spoof! Image from Gwydion M. Williams
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