The lord chief justice will take no pleasure in being reminded of his perspicacity after warning last November that misuse of the internet by jurors poses a threat to the integrity of the jury system.

The most recent case, involving a juror who allegedly contacted a defendant through Facebook, has led to the nation’s legal system being branded a ‘farce’ by one tabloid newspaper.

And when the legal process is derailed, of course, that can be very expensive for the taxpayer.

Lord Judge warned then that the problem had not been fully acknowledged by the judiciary, as it had wrongly been assumed that it occurs rarely.

Turning a ‘Nelsonian blind eye’ to the phenomenon was unacceptable, he counselled.

New technology – texting in one case, Facebook in more than one – can now be seen to have interfered with several trials in the last few years.

It is an open question whether the judiciary has properly taken heed of this emerging tendency.

Chris Kinch QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, is surely right to call on judges to be more explicit in their directions at the beginning of cases, by making specific reference to the internet and social media.

Both are intricately interwoven into daily life in a way that was inconceivable even five years ago and their use is now second nature to millions. Every actor in the justice system needs to understand this.