‘She’s fifteen, Gerard. Stop being a twat.’

Gerard tried to shuffle past to stand next to his girlfriend, Kamila, but a prison guard put a hand on his shoulder and barked, ‘Put you there for a reason, sonny Jim.’

Georgia glanced the other way at Zac and got scrambled feelings. She no longer adored him, but he’d helped make her life bearable after Sophie died, and six months had cooled the rage she’d felt when he childishly lost his cool with Gerard.

‘All rise,’ a court clerk ordered.

Always the organiser, Kamila got the seven defendants holding hands as Judge Malum stepped through her door at the rear of her bench. Pippa held Georgia’s right hand, Wendy the left.

‘This kangaroo court is run by wankers!’ Gerard shouted to the gallery.

He got cheered as Judge Malum sat down, ignoring the fuss.

Georgia felt weird, knowing there was someone in the room who knew her fate. Judge Malum’s preamble was going to be torture.

‘In considering these sentences, there are complex factors to consider,’ the judge read from notes. ‘The balance between serving the public interest and seeing that the defendants are treated fairly. The fact that the intent of the attack was largely mischievous, but the outcome severe. I must also account for the ages, needs and criminal histories of each individual defendant, and that the guilty pleas entered by all defendants have avoided the cost of a complex criminal trial.

‘The one thing I wish everyone to be clear on is that the laws of the United Kingdom make no distinction based upon a victim’s social status, or lack thereof. In the eyes of the law, an attack on a prime minister is no different to an attack on an ordinary citizen. I would ask the press to bear that in mind when they report on the sentences I am about to give.’

Georgia hoped this meant the press might not be happy with the severity of the sentences. Wendy looked towards Georgia and quietly mouthed, ‘Looks good,’ while Pippa was trembling so badly she was making Georgia shake too.

‘Beginning with the most serious adult offences. A pattern of increasingly serious criminal behaviour, and the fact that he is the only defendant who clearly understood that the thinned paint was flammable and could cause an explosion, obliges me to sentence Gerard Michael Flynn to twelve years in prison, with a recommendation that a minimum of eight be served before any consideration of parole.’

Gerard put his arms up triumphantly as a mix of boos and cheers erupted from the gallery. The judge paused while it settled down.

‘Zeitung Kam Li – commonly known as Zac – Kamila Julia Kowalski and Elodie May Springer face identical charges. Apart from minor infractions, none has any previous criminal history and they are each sentenced to seven years in prison with no minimum imposed.’