By Muriel Spark

Дата добавления: 2015-09-15; просмотров: 493

Met Told to Pay £52,000 to Terror Expert

Yesterday, the Metropolitan police (1) _____________ (to order) to pay £52,000 damages to a terrorism analyst after it (2) _____________ (to find) that it (3) ______________________ (to influence) the decision of Sky News not to put him on air. Charles Shoebridge (4) ________________ (to win) his case at an employment tribunal that the Met (5) ______________ (to run) a campaign of victimization against him, and that it (6) ________ (to try) to derail his career as a media commentator on security issues.

It wasn’t the first campaign the Met (7) _________________ (to conduct) against him. Mr Shoebridge, a former Scotland Yard counter-terrorism officer, (8) ________________ (to be) a regular contributor to news organizations. He (9) ___________________ (to leave) the Met in 2000 after winning claims for discrimination and victimization, for which the force (10) _____________________ (to pay) out at least £300,000.

In March this year, the tribunal (11) ________________ (to find) that the Met (12) __________________ (to continue) targeting Mr Shoebridge, and (13) ____________________ (to try) to stop Sky News and the ITV News Channel using him because he successfully (14) ________________ (to sue) them. (Mr Shoebridge (15) ____________________ (to clear) of bullying a female colleague. He then (16) __________________ (to charge) with indecently assaulting the same colleague, and (17) ___________________ (to acquit) by a jury).

Yesterday Mr Shoebridge (18) ____________________ (to award) £52,000 in damages for lost earnings and injury to his feelings. The tribunal found that the Met’s chief press officer, Bob Cox, (19) _______________ (to try) to influence the ITV News Channel not to use Mr Shoebridge. Mr Shoebridge’s appearances on Sky News also severely (20) _____________ (to curtail) after bosses (21) ________________ (to send) out a memo saying he should not be used.

The memo came after Sky’s crime correspondent, Martin Brunt, (22) _______________ (to tell) by an unnamed Met source of a “slight question mark” against Mr Shoebridge, a claim he (23) _______________ (to pass) on to the channel’s deputy head of news, Simon Cole. Mr Cole told the tribunal that Mr Shoebridge (24) _________________ (to drop) because staff (25) ______________ (to dislike) him, with one calling him “a creep”.

But in a unanimous judgment, the tribunal concluded: “The memo (26) _____________ (to issue) and undoubtedly Mr Shoebridge (27) _________ (not to use) regularly thereafter as he (28) ______________ (to be) before, and we link the two together.” The tribunal said the Met should investigate what (29) ___________________ (to happen) and make sure it could not happen again, giving a six-month deadline. A spokesman for the Met said the force (30) (to study) the findings but (31) _________________ (not to plan) to appeal.

(From ‘The Guardian’, abridged)

Role play

Role 1. You are Malcolm Bridle, a newspaper correspondent. You are going to write an article about the Metropolitan Police in view of unfair treatment and discrimination of some police officers. Interview Charles Shoebridge (role 2), Martin Brunt (role 3) and Patricia Smith (role 4) in this connection. Try to find out what happened to Mr Shoebridge before he left the Met in 2000, and what happened before the tribunal hearing described in the article given above.

Role 2. You are Charles Shoebridge.

Your cues: When you – to leave the Met in 2000, you – to be with the force for over 10 years and to uncover three major terrorist plots. The female officer you assaulted – Afro-European, lazy, incompetent – to be under your command for 6 months. Before the conflict, you – repeatedly to ask your superior to transfer her to a different department. She – to call you “a male chauvinist”. The final conflict – to occur because she – not to do her duty, and an undercover agent – to be killed. Since then you – to have a pronounced dislike for women. Bob Cox, the met chief press officer, – to envy you because since you – to be with the Met, you – to be a regular contributor to news organizations.

Role 3. You are Martin Brunt, Sky News’ crime correspondent.

Your cues: You had to pass on the information your Met source – to give you because he – to threaten to stop informing you if you … . You, personally, think very highly of Charles Shoebridge (talented, intelligent, experienced). You – to know him before he – to join Sky News. He – to be your source of information in the Met for 4 years.

Role 4. You are Patricia Smith, a Sky News correspondent.

Your cues: Before the tribunal you – to have a definite dislike for Charles Shoebridge because he – always to display contempt for women. They – to feel humiliated. Now many of them (including you) – to warm up to him. However, it happened only after the details of his previous conflict with the Met – to reveal, not because he – to change.

FUTURE FORMS

13. Role play. Have a conversation in the following situation. You are going to start your own business. It’s going to be a restaurant. Here is the schedule for the work to be done:

a. to get a bank loan – by October;

b. to find a building – by early November;

c. to complete a designer project – by mid-November;

d. to redecorate the building – by mid-December;

e. to employ staff – by the end of December;

f. to open up – by the end of the year.

Role 1. You are an optimist. You think you’ll have done the work by the time given in the schedule. Give your reasoning.

Role 2. You are a pessimist. You don’t think it will be possible to keep to the schedule. Explain why you think so.

Jobs and Work

Reading and Speaking 1