WebProNews

A judge in London on Wednesday said he did not understand what a Web site was during the trial of three men accused of promoting terrorism over the Internet.

Judge Peter Openshaw was questioning a witness about a Web forum used by the accused when he said," The trouble is I don't understand the language. I don't really understand what a Web site is."

The prosecutor Mark Ellison took time to explain to the judge the terms Web site and forum. After doing so the judge remarked, ""I haven't quite grasped the concepts."

At the end of Wednesday's proceedings the judge asked the prosecutor to tell a computer expert who is scheduled to testify today to keep it simple saying, "Will you ask him to keep it simple, we've got to start from basics."

While it is good that the judge admitted his ignorance, it is still rather unbelievable that he was not aware of such basic concepts as a Web site or a forum.

Over at Techdirt, they raise a good point about the case. "You have to wonder, though, what the point is in questioning an expert if his testimony has to be kept simple enough for this judge to understand."