'What is a Web site?' judge says he's fully computer literate

A British judge who said he didn't really understand the term "Web site" is fully computer literate and was merely trying to clarify complex evidence for the benefit of the court, the judiciary said on Friday.

The remark by Judge Peter Openshaw during a trial on Wednesday made headlines around the world.

"The trouble is I don't understand the language. I don't really understand what a Web site is," he told a London court during the trial of three men accused of inciting terrorism via the Internet.

In a statement, the Judicial Communications Office did not dispute that Openshaw had been accurately quoted. But it said the remark by the judge, now in his fifth week presiding over the trial, had been taken out of context.

"Trial judges always seek to ensure that everyone in court is able to follow all of the proceedings. They will regularly ask questions, not for their own benefit, but on behalf of all those following a case, in the interests of justice," it said.