I don't usually post news of this type, but this is a good enough excuse to enter an academic frame of mind during the summer holidays. Students of A Level Law may remember the case of former agent David Shayler (2001), who claimed the general defence of Necessity after breaching the Official Secrets Act 1989 by disclosing information pointing to MI5's incompetence. He claimed that the information would trigger the MI5 in improving their practices and was necessary to better protect the public in future. After fleeing to France for some time and returning to England to face charges, the Court of Appeal ruled that there was no ascertainable risk to identifiable persons (there was merely ''some risk'' to ''some part of the public'' in ''future'') and Shayler was therefore denied the defence.

Mr Shayler has made another appearance in the news recently, and has this time been ordered to leave the property in which he is squatting in Surrey. He appears to have taken a contemptuous attitude towards the legal system and missed a legal hearing since he ''didn't see the point''.

Shayler, who now dresses as a woman calling himself Dolores and claiming on his website that he is the Messiah, appears to have taken an unfortunate turn for the absurd.

Alex Kara