Hello and I'm Phoeia Mackelhemeer.

My name is Anne Macklehenny.

And I'm Phoelea Mackelier.

The defamation trial of writer and broadcaster Mark Stein is back on today and we'll bring you a new episode with all the updates tomorrow.

Now there was no court on Friday so normally there wouldn't be an episode on Monday this Monday, but we don't want to leave you bereft of any of the inside court drama.

So today we're bringing you a special bonus episode, Mark Stein's entire opening speech to the jury.

People really love the excerpts we had reenacted in episode three, so we decided now to bring

you the unredacted uncensored speech in all its glory.

Here it is.

Thank you very much, Your for this trial. It is likely to be long, but for my part I shall try to make it no longer than necessary.

I'm Mark Stein, S-T-E-Y-N, Mr Simburg's co-defendant, I apologize for being foreign and I apologize for not standing up.

I'm a Canadian on his last legs, so I have difficulty standing, but I have no difficulty standing on the truth.

The truth of what I wrote, the truth about what happened at a famous American institution,

and the truth about this man the plaintiff.

To modify a famous line from an American courtroom drama,

I think you can handle the truth.

In my world, I can write you can handle the truth.

In my world I can write something, Mr Simburg can write something, and Mr Man can write something,

and you're free to read all or none and decide what weight to attach to all or none.

But a Mr Mann's world, there's his take and everyone else has to be hockey-sticked into submission and silence.

I'd be inclined to suggest that's a little un-American.

But as I said, I'm a foreigner, so it probably isn't for me to say what is or isn't American.

...