Madam, Where are Your Mangoes: An Episodic Memoir

This is the fascinating story of Desmond de Silva's life in the law, from the arrest of Charles Taylor for war crimes in Sierra Leone, to defending household names such as John Terry, via murder, celebrity and spy trials. Born in Ceylon during World War II, de Silva went on to become one of the most distinguished and high-profile jury advocates of his generation. This memoir provides an authoritative account of some of his most remarkable cases, covering over half a century of practice in the courts of England, the Commonwealth and as Chief Prosecutor of an international criminal court that in 2012 brought to justice the first Head of State since the Nuremberg trials in 1946. It is also a revealing portrait of Britain's post-war social, political and cultural landscape and a testament to the unparalleled importance of the rule of law in society. De Silva's own reminiscences are complemented by a series of stories relating to his most colourful cases by the Evening Standard's veteran court correspondent Paul Cheston. Accessible and entertainingly written, de Silva describes a remarkable life spent in the corridors of power.