Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Ooops! This Doesn't Sound Good


LONDON (Reuters) - A British judge admitted on Wednesday he was struggling to cope with basic terms like “Web site” in the trial of three men accused of inciting terrorism via the Internet.

Judge Peter Openshaw broke into the questioning of a witness about a Web forum used by alleged Islamist radicals.

“The trouble is I don’t understand the language. I don’t really understand what a Web site is,” he told a London court during the trial of three men charged under anti-terrorism laws.

Prosecutor Mark Ellison briefly set aside his questioning to explain the terms “Web site” and “forum.” An exchange followed in which the 59-year-old judge acknowledged: “I haven’t quite grasped the concepts.”

Violent Islamist material posted on the Internet, including beheadings of Western hostages, is central to the case.


Please note, that is not a portrait of Judge Openshaw. I do admire his hair, however.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Agreed! Do you suppose he'll get a few hands-on lessons before the trial concludes? He may deserve some credit for confedding his ignorance, but here the Defense would likely call for a change of venue. Perhaps the Prosecuter would, too.

I hope you all are fine and dandy as the weather heats up. Is Copperopolis usually cool?
Red Bluff and Cottonwood temps on Tuesday were in the mid-90's, so Katie and Christoprh jumped in their pool, and I started up the AC. Each passing year I cross my fingers that the motor will function.