The Courtroom sketch:
[Judge seated, the guilty person standing]
Judge: You have been found guilty on all accounts. The Law can show no mercy to you, even though you are in very poor health. Therefore your sentence is for you to be locked behind bars for the rest of your life.
Guilty person: [Starts to sob] That's terrible, I'll never be able to feel the waves of the sea washing over my feet, never run through the open fields.....
Judge: [Cuts across the guilty person] You have only got yourself to blame. But the Law does allow for you to redeem yourself from out of prison.
Guilty person: Redeem myself? What does that mean.
Judge: It means that you can pay money instead of serving the prison sentence.
[Guilty person looks hopeful]
Judge: The cost to redeem yourself is 100 billion pounds. I know the guilty one hasn't got such money, so take him away!
Guilty person: 100 billion pounds! I haven't even got 1000 pounds! No one has got that much!
Judge: That's not my problem! Take the guilty one away!
[A policeman leads the guilty one away]
Narrator: The Law & justice has been satisfied. The guilty person is paying the penalty for his wrong doings. [Pauses. Rubs chin very thoughtfully] But what if.....Let's rewind the sketch.
[Judge seated again, & the guilty person standing again.]
Judge: You have been found guilty on all accounts. The Law can show no mercy to you, even though you are in very poor health. Therefore your sentence is for you to be locked behind bars for the rest of your life.
Guilty person: [Starts to sob] That's terrible...[In comes the 'unnamed person' & stands between the Judge & the guilty one]
Unnamed person: Now stop right there! [Guilty one looks more & more surprised] I will personally pay that money to redeem him & then he can come & work for me. [Turns to guilty one] If that is OK with you!
Guilty person: [looking really relieved & happy] Of course that is OK with me! I just can't believe that anybody would want to pay for me to be redeemed from prison!
Judge: [sternly] Never mind all this! You are wasting my time. ...Unless of course you have actually got the 100 billion pounds, which I presume you haven't! [looks at 'unnamed person' angrily]
Unnamed person: Of course I have got the money. Here, have this guaranteed cheque for 100 billion pounds.
Judge: [embarrassed] Oh! Then I had better declare the new verdict. [Judge clears his throat] I declare that this person is now free to leave the court, & to go & work for this chap here. This court session has now ended.