CBC News' The National had its first report on the jury deadlock, which featured the correspondent Alison Smith. She reported that, after the nine days of deliberations, there was a scurry once the existence of the note was revealed. Conrad appeared calm; he had said earlier that he had anticipated all contingencies. Two experts noted how uncertain the outcome still is. Conrad Black said "no comment" in French when he left earlier today.
After Ms. Smith was done, Hugh Totten was interviewed. He has compared this stage of the trial to a game of chicken, with the judge, the jury and the lawyers risking collision with each other. It isn't known how far each can go until grounds for appeal are reached.
No-one knows what the differences in the jury room are about. It's likely that jurors will deadlock again tomorrow. If there's a partial hung jury, things will get dicey. Judge St. Eve could keep sending them in, but doing so repeatedly could be construed as “coercive:” appeals have been granted on this basis. The mounting costs may be an issue, for both sides, regarding a future trial. So, if the jury is hung on some of the charges, the prosecution may fold its hand.
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Douglas Bell, in the Toronto Life Conrad Black trial blog, has written an entry that has his eyewitness view of the deadlock note being read out.
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