‘Well, the disadvantages would be the cost and complexity of setting these up. The advantages could be in very substantial tax savings. Or in a number of other ways,’ she added.

Meg sat up with a start. She suddenly realized she had missed several minutes of what had been going on. She saw Gready looking at her – had he seen her eyes shut? Had anyone? Somehow, she had to stay awake – her daughter’s life was at stake.

‘A number of other ways?’ Cork prompted. ‘What other ways?’

‘I’ve seen this kind of set-up used for money laundering, for example. And by large-scale drug trafficking operations.’

The defence QC was on her feet again. ‘Your Honour, this is casting aspersions on my client.’

Jupp shook his head. ‘I disagree, the witness has given a straightforward answer to a question.’

The prosecutor turned back to Emily Denyer. ‘You have told us you have been running an investigation into the defendant’s finances for the past eighteen months. That I’m sure is a major time and resource commitment. Could you tell us what made Sussex Police decide to instigate this?’

‘I was briefed as part of a confidential investigation that the name LH Classics had come up during an Interpol inquiry into a major international drugs supply chain, operating from Eastern Europe and also from Colombia and Ecuador in South America.’

Emily Denyer spent some time giving her evidence, sharing the accounts and information she had accumulated against the defendant, Terence Gready. There were multiple spreadsheets she went through in detail, showing regular large transfers of money into bank accounts, a number linked to LH Classics. She had established that during the last five years there had been four separate payments of over £5 million passing through the LH Classics account. These transfers coincided with the approximate dates listed on the details of the offence. They also matched the evidence DS Alexander had given in relation to other large importations of drugs via Newhaven Port using classic cars destined for LH Classics.

At the end of this evidence, the prosecutor briefly turned to the jury, to make them feel included, then back to his witness. ‘So, in your capacity as a Financial Investigator, you drilled deeply into the complex international chain of shell companies and nominee directors of LH Classics. Did you discover, as result, who the real beneficial owner is?’

‘I did,’ she said.

‘Could you tell us that person’s name?’

She glanced almost disdainfully towards the dock and nodded. ‘It is the defendant.’ She hesitated, as if unsure whether to say what she wanted to next, but she did anyway. ‘We actually had a code name for him in the office.’

‘A code name for the defendant? Would you like to share it with the court?’

Instantly Primrose Brown was on her feet. ‘Your Honour, this is not relevant.’

‘I believe it is material, Your Honour,’ Cork responded.