U2 singer Bono has told the High Court that he and the band "should have called the cops" to retrieve equipment taken by their former stylist Lola Cashman.
The singer was giving evidence yesterday during the second day of an appeal by Ms Cashman against a Circuit Court order to return items belonging to the band.
Responding to cross examination by John Rogers SC for Ms Cashman as to why he waited 12 years to seek the return of a "flight case" containing a TV monitor, video equipment and tapes, Bono said that in hindsight this should have been done by the early 1990s.
"It was a very busy time, but probably at that point we should have called the cops."
The equipment had gone missing after the Joshua Tree tour in 1987 during which Ms Cashman worked as the band's stylist. Regine Moylett, another band employee, has told the court she discovered the equipment in Ms Cashman's London home in 1991.
Attempts were made to retrieve the equipment, Bono told the court, but no legal proceedings were issued. The band did not realise the significance of Ms Cashman having the equipment until she tried to sell other items belonging to the band, including Bono's hat and trousers at auction in Christie's in 2002, he said.
"If I had known then what I know now that videos were missing I would have called the cops. The implications had not dawned on all of us that she may have had other stuff."
Ms Cashman's behaviour was "very extraordinary" and had descended into "Monty Python territory", Bono said. It was "bizarre" that she should try to sell mugs that the band had "drank their tea from".
Mr Rogers pointed out that there were several Stetson hats and pairs of black trousers and it was reasonable that the band would have "gifted" these items to Ms Cashman. Bono said that these were not things the band would have given away.
It was "simply incredible", Mr Rogers said, that Bono was introducing the police into the matter when he had never even issued a solicitor's letter relating to the video equipment. It was an attempt to put across a "vile view" of his client, he said.
"You have come in here to use the most appalling type of language to describe my client's behaviour."
Bono said he would retract the reference to "the cops".
U2 manager Paul McGuinness told the court Ms Cashman was one of the most difficult people he had ever had to deal with and he had records of several attempts to retrieve the video equipment. He said he and the band had been naive in their dealings with her.
"This is the first time we have have the experience of anyone so disloyal as to take material and exploit it for personal gain."
Ms Cashman told the court that Bono looked like the Greek singer Nana Mouskouri when she first met him in 1987. He accepted the criticism and asked her to work as the band's stylist to "make him look more sexy", she said.
She had asked Bono for his Stetson and he "plonked it on my head". There were several copies of his three-quarter length trousers because Bono had "a problem with his weight" during the tour and needed different sizes.
The case continues today.
