Judge Rivlin QC told the jury, of nine men and three women, that they had to decide whether Spearmen had knowingly been involved in the conspiracy to defraud. The jury had not been sent out to consider its verdict as PrintWeek went to press.

The prosecution alleges that Richard Spearman made 200,000 from illegal share trading from 1997 to 2001. The information came from an employee of St Ives financial printer Burrups, Norman Payne, who passed on proofs to Richard Spearmans wife Catherine and her business partner Michael Smith.

Smith, Payne and Catherine Spearman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud last year.

by John Davies