In other words, Owen admits to being influenced by unproven cases in his consideration of culpability in Litvinenko's death.
At a pre-inquest hearing, lawyers for the inquiry said that the material in possession of the British government did establish a 'prima facie case' for the culpability of the Russian state in the death.
Depending on the facts and supporting documentation, account owners may be able to build a solid case to support their lack of culpability.
Robert M. Smith, a former Times reporter, says that two months after the burglary, over lunch at a Washington restaurant, the acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, L. Patrick Gray, disclosed explosive aspects of the case, including the culpability of the former attorney general, John Mitchell, and hinted at White House involvement.
Not only did the government wind up research into the after effects of the poison gas in 1994, it failed to gather evidence of culpability in the case against the US company.
No admissions of culpability have been made in settling these cases.
A spokesman for the National Crime Agency, which incorporates the National Cyber Crime Unit, was less philosophical, acknowledging that the question of criminal culpability in the case of a randomised software agent making a purchase of an illegal drug was "very unusual".
The judge said that in terms of culpability and harm, he could imagine no more serious case.
R. Booth Goodwin II, the United States attorney on the case is on the right course in using conspiracy law to move up the chain of culpability.
The case also brings up questions about the limits of speech on the Internet: How does one assign levels of culpability to someone who shares thoughts with people who say they are already considering suicide?
The judge said the level of culpability of Luczak and Krezolek was "extremely high" and that there was "minimal mitigation in this case".
