"I was not the leader, I was the deputy leader!" he called out, to stifled laughs from the benches behind.The ebullient defendant looked momentarily shaken when the sentence was passed and jumped out of his seat to check he had heard correctly. "Was that six or sixteen?" he asked incredulously.He soon recovered his composure, turning to smile at his family and clench his fist."I expected two to four years, but I'm not that surprised," he said afterwards. "It will be difficult, I will miss my family, but we have to continue the fight."His parents, his wife, Azizah Ismail, and their six children surrounded him afterwards, hugging and kissing him. Nurul Izzah, his eldest daughter, was unable to control her tears, which flowed down her cheeks until her father gently touched her head and smiled at her in mock reproval.As Azizah left the courtroom, she was greeted by cheers and chants of "We want justice!" from the crowds outside. Fighting back tears, she said: "Our family is very sad, but we have no regrets."Gurbachan Singh, one of Anwar's lawyers, called the sentence "manifestly excessive". He added: "The maximum in this sort of case has been two years. I am completely shocked."After the verdict crowds took to the streets in defiance of a ban on gatherings, and vented their feelings at the ranks of police and water cannon awaiting them.
Soon streams of water laced with pepper spray were running in the gutters under the midday sun. One of those arrested was Tian Chua, head of an alliance of opposition parties and rights groups. Described by host Eddie Izzard (right) as "a sort of karaoke evening", the show was set against a backdrop of McCartney's photographic work, and featured more than a dozen artists singing their own and Beatles' material. Me too." Hangs up and, with a watery smile, returns to his desk..
What is it? Star-studded fundraising concert in honour of Linda McCartney (below), photographer, animal rights campaigner and Beatles wife, who died of cancer last April. "Shall I come over tonight? I think we ought to talk..." He listens, then says, quite gently, "Mm. Drums his fingers, twitches when the phone is answered."Hannah?" he says, "It's me. "Ill?" He says? "Well, that's just typical, isn't it?" He turns on his heel and walks away.A few minutes later, he's back "What did you say was wrong with her?" "Flu, I think. She sounded pretty croaky." He thinks for a moment."Maybe I should call her." "Sure." I start to look for her number, but he's already picked up the phone and dialled it from memory.
That's where it was last time"), know each other's personal habits ("Lunch? Where is she? Giovanni's, I suppose?") in a way that they could only if they'd shared lives at some point.Wednesday, Hannah calls in sick. "Are you OK?" I ask, "Can I do anything for you?" "No," she croaks, "It's some sort of flu thing It's been coming on for days. They hiss into each other's faces from so close up they are almost kissing, make personal comments ("I told you that was the wrong sort of briefcase"; "You always say that when you know you're in the wrong"; "Well, it's probably in the car. For under all the rage, the attempts at sabotage, the frostiness, there's a familiarity you find only in people who know each other very, very well.
He touches her wrist; she shakes it off like a horse swatting a fly.10.37am: Door to stairs bangs shut.10.42am: Door to stairs bangs open again, slams behind Doug, who is purple in the face.10.42am plus 30 seconds: Door to stairs opens quietly and Hannah emerges looking grimly triumphant.I thought at first that this was a simple personality clash, then began to suspect some darker harassment question But, as I said, the signs are there if you're looking. "No," he says, "Tell her to call me immediately."10.31am: Hannah: "Tell Mr Me-Me-Me Forster to stuff it."10.32am: "Hello, Mr Forster, Hannah is in a meeting right now. She'll be in touch as soon as she can."10.35am: Doug passes my desk at a rate of knots.10.36am: Doug and Hannah pass back in the opposite direction, she walking at an even greater pace than his. She said to tell you that she'll get in touch when she has a moment," I say; I've long since become a past master at making palatable the charm of my seniors.