Summary Justice - Characters

SPOILERS!

 These are the characters in the novel for future reference

REGULAR CHARACTERS

• William Benson (37) is the main character. In 1999 William was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life. One night he had a run-in with a hospital porter, Paul Halbeton, in a pub, and later the man was found dead, and William had been seen around the area. William claimed that he was innocent but he was not believed by the jury. After his experience during the trial William realised that he wanted to be a barrister, and Tess De Vere, who at the time was doing some work experience, told him to fight for what he wanted. His lawyers told him that it would be almost impossible, but his QC Helen Camberley helped him and he managed to pass the bar. Now he is on licence, and his first murder case is of a woman accused of killing his boss. Many of the barristers are against him practising, but at the end of the book when he succeeds to have Sarah acquitted, he seems to find more acceptance. William and Tess work in this case together, but at the end of the first case, Tess decides to cut ties with him because she has started to doubt William's innocence.
• Tess de Vere (35) is the second main character. Tess met Will when she was doing work experience for Camberley. She was the one to tell him to fight for what he wanted. Tess went to work in Strasbourg after she had a problem with a former boyfriend. Now she is back and working in a prestigious firm. When she reads about Will, she goes to find him and offers him to help him instructing him. Tess has always believed Will was innocent, but her godfather, who has helped her in her career, makes her see that she may be wrong. When she discovers that Will lied about knowing Paul Halbeton before, she decides to stop her association with Benson after they finish the case she helps him with. 
• Archie Congreve (62) is Will's clerk. Will met him in prison. Archie did time for tax fraud. The building that Will uses as his offices used to be the fishmonger's that Archie's family had years ago. 
• Sally Matindale is Tess's best friend. She is a graphologist, and by analysing handwriting Sally tells Tess that both Sarah and William are hiding things. And she is proved right.
• Eddie Benson is William's disabled brother. After he was sentenced to life, Eddie refused to talk or see William again. Eddie is in a wheelchair because he had an accident on his bicycle when he, William and their friend were playing around.
• Paul Halbeton(33)  is the man who was killed. William and he had a fight in a pub, and then the man was found dead in the street. Some witnesses claim to have seen William near the place Paul's body was found. William swore he was innocent, but he was found guilty and sentenced to life. Now Tess starts to investigate the case, and she discovers that William lied and he knew Paul from before when they both volunteered in a clinic.
• Helen Camberley (73) is a QC and she helped William to become a barrister.
• Molley Robson (63) is the typist that Will hires at the end of the book.
• George Braithwaite was William's solicitor. He told him that it would be almost impossible to become a barrister, but he and Helen helped him.
• Gordon Hayward is one of Tess's colleagues at the law firm, and he is obviously smitten with her.
• Judge Rigby presided the trial after which Benson was given a life sentence.
• Jessica Buchanan was William's girlfriend when he had the incident with Paul Halbeton.
• CJ Congreve is Archie's father and gives his headsup to William using his former fishmonger's.
• Dot, Joyce, Betsy and Eileen Congreve are Archie's sisters. 
• Dr Abasiama Agozino is Benson's psychologist. After the case and Tess' defection, Will decides not to attend her sessions anylonger
• Needles (Albert Seabrook) is a man who Will met in prison. He was old and suffering from dementia, but the prison authorities did not pay him any heed even when Will told a guard about Needles' problem. When Will was transferred to another prison, he read that Needles had killed himself with the scarf he had knitted.
• Douglas Coker (74) is the senior partner of the firm Tess works for. He is also her godfather, and he advises her not to get involved with Benson professionally. Douglas helped her when Tess had a problematic realtionship with her boyfriend.
• Peter Farsely is Tess's exboyfriend. She left for Strasbourgh after she broke up with him. 
• Maureen Haberton is Paul's mother.
• Kenny Haberton is Paul's father. After the family moved to London, he left them. When Paul was killed, he reappeared, but then he went away again. 
• Gary Chilton is Paul's half-brother.
• Jim Beson is Will's father.
• Neil Reydon is Eddie's best friend. He comes to see him every day and takes him out.
• Richard Merrington is the Secretary of State for Justice and is against Paul practising law. 
• Angela Temple was in charge of the Radwell Brain Trauma  Clinic and she tells Tess that Paul and Will knew each other from the time when they were both volunteers at the clinic.

CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK

• Sara Collingstone is the woman Benson defends in his first trial. Sara is accused of killing her boss. During the trial the accusation proves that Sara lied, and she did know her boss, Andrew, before and he was actually her disable son's father. Sara is acquitted when Will shows that there may be another explanation to Andrew's murder as he was in connection with a Chinese band.
• Ralph Collingstone is Sara's father. He turns out to be the killer when he realises that Andrew is not willing to help Sara financially with all the expenses that her son involves.
• Daniel Collingstone is Sara's disable child. 
• Andrew Bealing was the man who was found dead in his own warehouse. Sara was accused of killing him. Benson discovers that he was preparing to run away with his lover, and escaping both his wife and Sarah's demands.
• Anna Wysocki was also working for Andrew. Anna and Andrew were lovers, and they were getting ready to escape to Poland, and they had an account in Switzerland with several million pounds for them to keep living without a hitch. 
• Debbie Bealing is Andrew's wife. She has been suffering from depression, and when Andrew dies, she is certain that a Chinese band were responsible for her husband's death. After Andrew's death he has to sell the company as he left little money to her.
• Darren Weaver is Debbie's nurse, and rumor has it hat he is her lover.
• Roger Grange is Andrew's accountant.
• Rachel Glencoyne is the QC acting for the crown in Sara's trial. 
• Kingsley Obiora is Andrew's warehouse manager. Andrew made him think that there was danger because a Chinese band were threatening them. When Andrew was killed, he got scared and went into hiding. Tess finally persuaded him to testify.
• Kym Hamilton was Andrew's secretary for many years.
• Amanda Grange is Roger's wife.
• Hugh Wellborn was one of the lawyers working for Andrew in his dealings. He was killed in a car accident, and Andrew started hinting that his death was not accidental as he had angered some Chinese client after failing in securing a contract.
• Gloria Johnson is a witness, living close to Andrew's offices, and she saw Sara the night of the murder.
• Luke Baker is the accident investigator who looked into Hugh Wellborn's accident.
• Paula O'Neill is from the charity which helped Sara get the job with Andrew's company.
• Dr Henry Lucas is the pathologist at the trial.
• Dr Stuart McDonald testifies about the forensic evidence found in the crime scene.
• Dr Elaine Gooding is an expert on DNA and she testifies as well.
• Justice Kenneth Oakshot presides the trial when Sarah is judged.