The Globe and Mail's Paul Waldie reports that some small-town newspapermen and Conrad Black's own secretary did more damage to the tycoon's case than the glamour witnesses like David Radler:

Mr. (Mike) Reed, Mr. (Lloyd) Case and Mr. (David) Paxton run dozens of newspapers in small towns across the United States like Jamestown, N.D., and Paducah, Ky. All three explained to jurors the intricacies of the small-town newspaper business and the deal-making involved.

They explained that in most newspaper deals, buyers seek non-competition agreements from sellers, so that the other company won't simply set up shop and start competing again. Those agreements are usually straightforward with a portion of the purchase price dedicated to a non-competition payment.

Usually sellers want to limit the number of parties included in the non-competition agreement so as not to restrict their business. But when Hollinger sold newspapers, more entities and names were added including some, like Lord Black, the three men had never heard of. When they were told a portion of the non-compete fee would go to those individuals, the three men balked.

"It just didn't seem like the right thing to do," Mr. Reed told the jury. "... We did not view these individuals as potential competitors."

The Toronto Star totalled the damage this way:

The convictions on the three fraud charges related to $3.5 million in payments from two media property sales. One transaction involved $2.6 million Black received for signing a non-compete contract with American Publishing Co., a wholly owned Hollinger subsidiary. Prosecutors argued it was a clear example of Black "paying himself not to compete with himself."

The other transaction related to "supplemental payments" made in April 2001 after Hollinger officials discovered they hadn't signed non-compete contracts when the company sold some community newspapers to Horizon Publications Inc. in March 1999 and Forum Communications Inc. in September 2000.

Even without a non-compete, the jury decided Black and others inappropriately took money from the deal. Black's share: $285,000.

Joan Maida, Black's secretary, was reportedly a terrible witness for her boss on the obstruction charge, which involved Black removing boxes from his offices at 10 Toronto Street:

Ms. Maida testified for Lord Black during the trial, and she tried to explain to jurors that the boxes contained only personal items that were being taken to her home. But she became so confused and contradictory on the witness stand that even a lawyer from another defence team muttered: "Why did they call her?"

The Globe talked to one juror who said they were deadlocked over Count 5:

It's a count of mail fraud that accuses all the defendants of sending an inappropriate payment of $4.3-million (U.S.) from a non-compete deal with Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.

Because the 12 jurors couldn't agree on it, some other charges were left in limbo - namely the racketeering charge against Lord Black - and a tax offence, said Ms. (Tina) Kadisak, a blond mother of one who lives in suburban Chicago, and who, through the course of the trial, often took notes with a feather-topped pen.