Lisa was due back at the doctor today to have her contraceptive implant fitted. So I was looking forward to this weekend. Jeremy Forrest wasn't sure he'd make it back in time, but fortunately Lisa's sister had agreed to look after Amelie this morning, so we were all set for surgery. Unfortunately the surgery wasn't. They phoned yesterday to cancel the appointment, saying that the only doctor trained to fit implants is having to go into a care home today. Which is odd, as she doesn't look that old.

So Lisa's still dangerously fertile, which is ironic as we received an e-mail yesterday from DuoFertility, inviting us to a party in London in November to celebrate the birth of their 500th baby. Toby is proud to be one of that number, so they've asked if we'll send some photos for them to display. I told him, and he looked shocked. So it's hard to tell if he heard me.

On the subject of a hearing loss (this is seamless), organised crime was the loser yesterday as justice prevailed and I found my first defendant guilty. And it wasn't Jimmy Savile. We were informed by the jury bailiff that now the trial is over, we can discuss the details of the case in public, but that what went on in the jury room must go with us to our graves.

So I can't tell you how much tea and coffee we drank, but I am at liberty (unlike the defendant) to reveal that it was a case of handling stolen goods. Namely the steering wheel of an Audi A5. The case started on Monday, was scheduled to last a day, and duly finished on Wednesday. Which is what happens when the defendant goes on the run. He turned up on Monday, saw the evidence against him, and promptly did a runner. There's currently a warrant out for his arrest.

So a lot of Tuesday was spent hanging around in the proverbial dark while the police went knocking on doors and the judge considered whether to carry on without him. We eventually found him guilty late yesterday morning, at which point we learnt that not only is he on the run, but he already has a criminal record, and is currently on bail for another crime. So I'm sensing we made the right decision.

There was some debate between the judge and the barristers about why the man was granted bail for a second crime when he was already out on bail for the first, but hindsight's a wonderful thing, and no one could ask him as he wasn't there.

In his absence, he was sentenced to a total of twenty-seven months in prison, and is likely to be deported back to his native Eastern Europe. Assuming they can find him.

People I've spoken to who have experience of jury service told me to expect days of doing nothing, and possibly even a week with no cases. That's not been my experience so far. The first trial finished at lunchtime yesterday, but just as I was building myself up for an an early finish and a relaxing few hours with my feet up, I was promptly selected for another jury, and sworn in for a new trial, shattering my hopes of an afternoon off, and putting me instantly back to work. There's no justice.