Kersley And how many times did he ask you to have prescriptions for poison made up outside London?
Mitchell Half a dozen times during the next three months.
Kersley I apologise, Ms Mitchell, but I must now ask you an embarrassing question as I want the jury to understand fully why you became so willing to fall in with Mr Sherwood’s plans. During the time leading up to Mr Sherwood asking you to collect these prescriptions from Wellingborough, did he maintain a professional relationship with you?
Mitchell To begin with he did, but then he started to give me presents, send me flowers and even invited me out to dinner.
Kersley And did you accept any of these invitations?
Mitchell No, not immediately, but then he became more and more insistent, and it’s quite difficult for a junior nurse to go on refusing the senior consultant. So I finally gave in and agreed to have dinner with him at a restaurant in Fulham, where he assured me no one would recognise us.
Kersley So he chose the restaurant, but did you make the booking?
Mitchell No, he did. And he paid for the meal in cash - he explained that way it couldn’t be traced back to him.
Kersley And did he invite you out again?
Mitchell Oh, yes. After that, Patrick regularly invited me out for a meal, or to the theatre. He kept telling me how lonely he was. And then one night on the way home, he said he was falling in love with me.
Kersley What was your reaction?
Mitchell I was very flattered at the time, and when we arrived back at my flat he asked if he could come up for coffee.
Kersley And did you agree to his request?
Mitchell No, I made some excuse about having to be up early for morning rounds. I didn’t mind having dinner with him, but I wasn’t willing to begin a relationship with a married man, especially one who was working at the same hospital.
Kersley Quite understandably. But that later changed?
Mitchell Yes, it was a few weeks later, at the staff Christmas party - he pulled me under the mistletoe and started kissing me.
Kersley B
ut isn’t that normal at a Christmas party, Ms Mitchell?
Mitchell Yes, but it isn’t normal for a doctor to put a hand on your breast.
Kersley And how did you respond?
Mitchell I pushed him away and then left the party as quickly as possible, hoping that none of the other nurses had noticed.
Kersley And did you go straight home?
Mitchell I would have done so, but he followed me out. He apologised immediately and asked if he could walk me back to my flat.
Kersley Did you let him?
Mitchell Yes, I lived less than a mile away and he seemed very contrite.
Kersley And did he leave you once you arrived back at your flat, Ms Mitchell?
Mitchell No, he asked if he could come in for coffee.
Kersley And did you agree this time?
Mitchell Yes, I’m afraid I did. You see, on the way home he never stopped telling me how much he adored me and longed to be with me. And in any case, it had started to rain and I felt rather sorry for him.
Kersley So after he’d joined you in the flat, what happened next?