Hutton's last performance

By Brian Wheeler BBC News Online, at the Royal Courts of Justice

Lord Hutton was in control throughout

Lord Hutton is not a man given to drama.

He is careful, measured, precise and always in control.

But, in his own way, the 73-year-old retired judge treated Court 76 at the Royal Courts of Justice to a remarkable performance on Wednesday lunchtime.

In a display of perfect diction and, for a man of his age, some physical stamina, Lord Hutton spoke non-stop for just under an hour and 45 minutes.

He did not hesitate, he barely paused to look up. The glass of water on his desk remained virtually untouched.

Even the unexpected intervention of a woman at the back of the court - who leapt up to suggest that Dr Kelly had been murdered - was dealt with efficiently and courteously.

"Thank you," replied Lord Hutton, before saying he was pushed for time and he wanted to "go on and finish my report".

Verbal tick

Similarly, an outbreak of sniggering from journalists as he told how a Times reporter took 20 attempts to guess Dr Kelly's name, did not deflect Lord Hutton from his purpose.

It's like going to see The Mousetrap, and knowing whodunit Member of the public in Court 76

His measured, slightly plummy voice betraying the merest hint of an Ulster accent. His only verbal tick, the now famous tendency to refer to weapons of "mars" destruction.

Any sense of drama that may have existed before the event was steadily dissipated beneath the low ceiling and bright lights of Court 76.

The room itself resembled a nondescript county court, which, in some respects, is what it is.

The well of the court had been cleared to make way for seven rows of seats, for the 90 journalists who had been given tickets.

This grotesquely distended press gallery contained some of the most recognisable faces in television journalism, forced to listen, for once, as their profession's failings were picked apart in all-too-revealing detail.

They sat and listened patiently.

'Sexing up'

Hutton was businesslike from the outset, launching, after a little housekeeping, into a verbatim transcript of the now infamous 6.07 Today programme exchange between Andrew Gilligan and John Humphreys.

THE HUTTON REPORT Full Report (PDF file 2MB) Hutton report in full (html version) Chapter 12: Summary

Any hopes that he would be attempting to do the voices were quickly dispelled.

The only real emotion was reserved for the phrase "sexing up".

Lord Hutton is not a fan of "sexing up". He spat the words out as if they were the name of a particularly vulgar new boy band that had just been brought to his attention.

Later, warming to his theme, he attacked this "slang expression" (cue more sniggers from the journalists) which, he said, was open to too many interpretations.

He made his feelings about BBC management quite clear too.

'Deplorable'

But he is also, it seems, no fan of The Sun newspaper.

His pointed criticism of its "deplorable" report at the very end of his statement, provided an unexpected frisson for the assembled hacks, who were starting fidgeting in their seats, having sat with remarkable patience throughout.

Rising at the conclusion of the statement, Lord Hutton allowed himself the faintest of smiles, before exiting stage right, a great weight seemingly lifted from his shoulders.

The sense of anti-climax among the Hutton die-hards who had queued for tickets was palpable.

Democratic rights

Ten members of the public had been allowed into Court 76. A further 40 had been allowed to watch from Court 75 next door, via a video link.

Before the event, City worker Gavin Oram, who had been first in the queue at 11.30 on Tuesday evening, was putting a brave face on it.

There had been queues round the block during the summer, but last night there had just been "two or three of us".

"It wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be," said Mr Oram who said he had wanted to exercise his democratic rights.

He admitted with a smile that his colleagues at work did not share his passion.

Low-key atmosphere

Even those who turned up to queue at 7.15am were surprised by the relatively low-key atmosphere and the lack of queues.

"We tried to look like a queue for German television," Tim Moorey, a semi-retired lecturer, who had been to most of the sessions in the summer said.

The leaking of the report to The Sun and the attendant row had taken some of the shine off the event.

"It's like going to see The Mousetrap, and knowing whodunit," one commented.

Afterwards, Tim Moorey, who said he had given a lecture about his trips to the Hutton report to the Croydon Rotary Club, said he felt Hutton had, to a certain extent, let the government off the hook.

"I am stunned, we knew the BBC was going to take a pasting, but there is another side to this."

Weapons issue

He would not be describing Hutton in quite such glowing terms in future talks, he said.

"I am so disappointed with Hutton, I am," said Martin Butcher, who had been to most of the hearings in the summer.

He said he was glad that the media had come in for criticism and felt that Hutton's attack on the BBC was justified.

But he too was annoyed that the issue of weapons of mass destruction had been left unresolved and, indeed, untouched, by Hutton.

"Teflon Tony has won the day again," he added, with a smile.