Jud Casper

Jud Casper is the main antagonist in the 1969 Ken Loach film *Kes* and a main Character the Classix Animation Studios graphic novel "The New Haven Chronicles"*.* Jud is the older brother of a tormented working class boy named Billy Casper and is a member of The Society of New Haven and is its best grappler. He is friends with Ellie, Gavin, Ronin, Ash, Victor, and has a crush on Ren.

Not much is known about Jud other than the fact that he works in the Yorkshire coal mines and his hobbies include betting on horse races. Once such time Jud leaves Billy £10 and a note to place the money on 2 horses. Billy goes to the bookmaker who warns Billy that neither horse Jud wants to put money on is likely to win the race. Convinced by the bookmaker that it would have been a waste of money to place the bets, Billy spends the money on fish and chips as well as some meat for a baby kestrel he chanced upon.

After hearing that one of the 2 horses actually won the race after all, Jud is furious when he discovers that Billy didn't place the winning bet and feels cheated that Billy had scammed him out of a £16 win (which could have got him a week off work). Initially Jud attempts to chase down Billy at the school he goes to however Billy hides in a caretaker's cupboard so Jud murders the kestrel instead.

Jud got his just Desserts when he ends up getting laid off in the mines and is forced to go out of country to get a job in Dewspark Manor

## Biography

Forest-born Jud took a job in Dewspark Manor as an exotic bird caregiver, presumably to send money back home to his family. He and another caregiver took charge of fifty exotic birds, but when the other boy couldn't handle the feisty birds and chose instead to work with the pigs, he left Jud to deal with fifty exotic birds on his own. Finding himself rather outnumbered, he requested to have another exotic birds worker to help him.

### *The Goose Girl*

In the episode, "First Day of Work", Jud is introduced to the new assistant bird caregiver, Izzy Harrow, on her very first day on the job. Though somewhat testy because some of the other workers are good-naturedly teasing him of having finally found a girl friend, he shakes Isi's hand and warns her carelessly that the birds practically bit the knees off the last assistant bird caregiver, so she'd better watch it. Only a few minutes later, a macaw tries to attack her before Jud snatches it with his hands and puts it back into it's cage. Rolling his eyes at her incompetence, they continue to work. Isi notices that three birds seem to be missing, though she's certain none got away, but Jud does not seem concerned. In fact he answers defensively, reminding her that he's been trying to wrangle fifty birds all alone for a week and that he'd like to see her do better.

As the days pass, he notices Isi is apparently trying to make bird sounds and mocks her for it. When they and their gaggle got attacked by a pair of wild dogs, Jud merely stands back to watch the spectacle. But before any birds get injured, Isi honks out a warning, causing the birds to go into a defensive huddle, and then snaps at Jud that he could have warned her instead of wanting her to sacrifice a bird just to see her be incompetent. Jud angrily retorts that if she's so much better at bird-keeping she can jolly well carry on. For the rest of the day, the caregiver stays on the far side of the bed, out of her sight.

In the episode, "Winter Downs", Weeks later at the Winter Solstice festival, Jud joins fellow animal workers Ash, Ronin, Betty, and Isi to see the sights. He and Razo are entranced by the javelin dancers, a ceremony that bequeaths Bayern boys a javelin and shield, marking them as members of the community. The boys must dance blindfolded within a sharp ring of javelins in the square known as the Thumbprint of the Gods. Its honorable if the boy survives the dance untouched, but they're given a javelin and shield anyway unless they die. Razo and Jud stare with starry eyes, declaring that they'd do the dance right there and then if it earned them a javelin. Unfortunately, the prejudice against Foreigners from different countries prohibits any Foreigner from even trying.

As the winter days slowly melt into spring, Jud becomes noticeably jealous of the goose girl. As the youngest of his father's seven children, the flock is all he's ever really had to himself, but this new girl is taking it away from him. He tries to mock her in front of the other workers by telling them that she thinks she can speak bird, but instead of ridiculing her, they ask her for advice with their own avian problems. With each question, Jud grows more and more sullen. Although the goose boy usually visits with friends in other pastures or wanders in the nearby wood, this time, he stays close and watches her distrustfully. He later tells Razo that she's not normal, what with her bird noises and staring at the stuffed horse statue mounted by the gate as if speaking with it, but Razo carelessly shrugs off his concerns because he believes Jud's just jealous of her goose-keeping skills.

The next day, Jud secretly follows Isi to a small copse of trees, where she takes off her hat and lets the wind dry out her hair. Her long, blonde, definitely-foreign hair. Shocked, he calls her a yellow girl aloud, causing her to whirl around and hastily tuck away her hair, but Jud knows what he saw. He can hardly believe that the beloved goose girl, who is *so* much better at goose-keeping than he is, isn't even from New Haven. He can't wait to reveal her secret to the other workers and runs off to think of the best way to do so.

That night amidst a light snowfall, the workers gloomily contemplate the rest of the winter, exchanging stories about their struggling families from other countries. Isi is asked what her family sells, and she replies that she doesn't know what they're doing now. Jud laughs roughly at that and scorns her answer, attracting the attention of everyone in the hall. Jud relishes the attention and continues to mock her, saying that she's not from a foreign country or even from New Haven. He declares triumphantly that he's seen her hair and knows that she's a yellow girl, the one the Greenwich guards are looking for. Ash breaks the tense silence by telling him to shut up, but he counters that she doesn't know what he does; he's seen proof. Ash snaps that she has too and so he should shove his jealousies where the sun doesn't shine. His face as red as a sunburn, Jud slams his fist on the table in frustration. Razo and Brian gently but firmly hold his arms as he challenges Ash to make Isi remove her headscarf and prove that she's from New Haven.

Enna sadly explains to the hall that Isi had lost her hair before she came to the city, and she's not going to embarrass her just to set Jud straight. The workers study their dinner with sudden interest, but Jud is furious. He knows she's lying, but he can't prove it without a scuffle. He swears to prove that Isi's foreign, but no one responds. Angry that no one believes him, he stomps off in a huff.

Throughout the next few days, Jud is determined to snatch a strand of Isi's exotic blonde hair as proof of her foreignness. He blocks her path and demands a strand of her hair, but she refuses, apologizing for not being able to tell the others the truth, but promising that she'll be leaving soon anyway. He leaves her alone, but the next day he secretly follows her to a small copse of trees where she lets her long hair loose. He quietly tries to cut a lock of hair off of her, but a sudden gust of wind knocks his favorite blue cap off his head and he's forced to chase it down. By the time its firmly back on, Isi's hair is firmly tied under her hat. She gives him her sticky cinnamon bun that evening in an attempt to make amends, but although he accepts the treat with a kind of acknowledged defeat, he refuses to give up.

Two months after Christmas, Jud looks up at the sound of forty-eight birds huddling together and catches sight of five men, each carrying a sack or a pole tipped with a wire loop, perfect for stealing exotic birds. Jud immediately slips through the gate to find help, but by the time he returns with three other workers they find only Isi and her untouched flock. But to Jud's intense relief, they also find evidence she was attacked: the goose thieves' abandoned sacks and poles, a bruise on Isi's throat, and her crook broken in two. Somehow, she managed to fend off five-fully grown thieves single-handedly. The would-be rescuers pick up her broken staff in amazement and leave to report the event to Isla Robinson, but Jud lingers behind. Isi thanks him for getting help, mentioning that she thought he abandoned her. His pride stung, Jud swears that he's no coward; he would've faced the thieves down.

Later that night, Isi refuses to talk about what happened, leaving her would-be rescuers to tell their much-embellished version to the hall as Jud sulks in the corner. Some workers are sent to retrieve the tools the thieves left behind for souvenirs, but they return with the palace pageboy Calvin instead. The young pageboy grandly proclaims that the Queen Angelene wishes to thank those involved with the protection of her birds, but for some reason, Isi is very reluctant to go. Only when Jud agrees to accompany her does she accept the summons. However, when they've walked a few blocks she insists that Jud go alone and take all the credit for himself. Although bemused at her apparent nervousness, he doesn't care enough to actually ask why and merely shrugs, following Calvin to the palace. Once there, Jud realizes that he can prove Isi's heritage once and for all by simply telling the Mayfleet guards that she's the yellow girl they've been looking for. He does exactly that, hoping that they'll take her away and not only prove her foreignness, but also have his job back to himself.

Later that evening, Calvin and Jud return to dine with the workers and gossip about the rumors of war plaguing the palace. Calvin reveals that the rich girl sent from Mayfleet Manor to marry Gavin told Mr. Dewspark that she really was sent as a kind of decoy to pretend all is well. In reality, The Mayfleet dyansty is plotting an attack on Avalar. However, the rich girl has grown to like New Haven and does not wish to be a part of her country's deceitful ways. Calvin declares that Angelene's council is outraged and has decided to crush Mayfleet Manor in a preemptive strike as soon as the mountain passes are cleared of snow. Jud is surprised that Isi is horrified, figuring that she either genuinely doesn't know about her own country's plans or is pretending that she doesn't for some reason.

That very night, Jud and half the settlement hear a racket of angry ravens and spot Isi running for her life from a large man named Ulrich chasing her. Ash leads a large segment of the workers after them, but they lose sight of the two in the nearby woods. Faced with everyone's questions, Ash reveals to everyone that Isi is truly Elenor Kathrine Mayfleet of Mayfleet Manor. She was sent to New Haven to marry Gavin, but on the journey half of her escort mutinied. They killed the other half and tried to kill Isi too so that they could replace her with her attentant, Celia, but Isi managed to escape and has been hiding as their goose girl ever since. Jud is horrified that he lead the Mayfleets straight to Isi; he genuinely had no idea that they would try to kill her. For days, Jud is consumed with guilt that Isi may very well have been murdered and it's all his fault.

Soon after, Gavin's upcoming wedding to the rich girl is announced and the whole city has a week-long holiday. Freed from work but having nowhere to go, Jud joins the rest of the workers in the dining hall. Suddenly, Isi herself walks in the door, accompanied by Victor and a Mayfleet man loyal to Isi named Tyrone. As soon as the room catches sight of Isi, everyone rushes to hug her and congratulate her on being alive except Jud. Ashamed to face her, he remains huddled in a corner. However, Isi catches sight of him and, at long last, gives him a lock of her hair. Staring at it, Jud holds back tears as he admits that he revealed her location to the Mayfleet guards, but stressing that he never thought that they would try to kill her. Ellie forgives him and apologizes for lying about her heritage. Reminded of her deception, she asks the workers why they all seem to readily believe that she is a rich girl and is touched when they frankly reply that they know her; she's their friend. Before she even has a chance to beg their help, everyone including Jud is already determined to join her quest.

Leading her group to the palace, Isi gains an audience with the previous prime minister Oliver, who is now retired. He writes a very official note for the stable owner so they can get cars for their journey. They manage to acquire about a dozen cars, but not many animal-workers can ride. Those who can, including Jud, are chosen to accompany Isi all the way to Lake Megan, where the wedding is to take place. After a few days' journey they arrive at the manor, but are stopped by the king's guards. They insist that the princess see the king alone, forcing Isi's escort to remain outside. Nevertheless, they eventually gain access to the manor just as Celia and Ulrich's treachery is revealed to the King of Bayern. Ungolad attempts to kill Isi, but Tyrone bursts in the nick of time, distracting Ungolad by challenging him to a duel. Talone fights the vicious, maddened Ungolad as the workers rush into the room to help the king's guard fight the Kildenrean traitors.

In the chaos, Jud notices Celia slip through the secret passageway and chases after her, managing to grab her by the hair before she escapes through a window. He drags a struggling, screaming Celia back to the throne room by her hair, ignoring her vicious scratching at his hands. By the time he returns, the battle is over and the floor is covered in Kildenrean bodies. The Bayern soldiers quickly take the murderess from him as the king sentences her to the very execution for treason that she devised for Isi: to be dragged along the streets in a barrel full of nails. As the soldiers carry a panicking Selia away, Jud proudly tells everyone how he caught her trying to escape. When Isi introduces him to the king, Jud instinctively hold out his hand to shake, but quickly drops it and bows awkwardly instead, insisting that Isi is the real yellow lady. Isi playfully knocks his cap off with a breeze, gently praising him when he looks at her in alarm.

The next day, Jud is summoned to the dining hall where he is officially given a javelin and shield. As Jud takes his place among the newly formed hundred-band made up of the Foreigners, he remains calm with only a small smile hinting at the enormous contentment within. Some days after the celebration, Jud attends the wedding of Izzy and Gavin in God's Thumbprint, a public square that allows anyone, noble or commoner, to attend.