As a stout defender of the jury system, I do not really blame the 10 men and two women who voted against us after four hours of deliberation. We could not win because the law demanded that we prove the unprovable. With the judge repeatedly emphasising the word 'deliberately', we were being asked to prove what was going on inside the journalists' heads eight years ago. The jury was only likely to come to one verdict. We have apologised for nothing, but we are not going to appeal.
Life is too short to waste any more time in the bizarre world of the libel courts.
We never wanted to get involved in this case. The polished-wood atmosphere of Court 14 at the Royal Courts of Justice is no place for journalists to debate such important issues. As I told the judge and jury in the witness box, I believe that people should have the right to judge the truth for themselves in the court of public opinion. What we are allowed to read or hear should not be dictated by ITN, their lawyers, or even the High Court. Exactly what Mr Justice Morland thought of my irreverent intervention was not recorded.