have a very wide web of contacts.

Right, but it's not contacts...

not contacts that you use? Er, no.

My position is, if you leak, you're weak.

If I'm going to come at you, I'm going to come at you head on...

man-on-man.

That's how I like it... Er, politically speaking.

You yourselves were subject to a leak, weren't you, in The Guardian?

How did you feel about the e-mail containing your thoughts

about Mr Tickel's death?

Um, it was, it was shameful and it was insensitive...

Absolutely. ..and we would like to apologise for that.

It's, it's dreadful. I agree.

I mean, their comments were absolutely unforgivable, mortifying.

"How many Mr Tickels does it take to change a lightbulb?"

"He doesn't have a lightbulb, he's in a tent."

Mmm...

"How do you turn Mr Tickel into Mr Happy?"

"Lithium."

"What's the difference between Mr Tickel and Captain Oates?"

"Captain Oates has a less stupid name."

And one feel that is particularly cruel, Ms Messinger,

given... Mmm.

..Mr Tickel's mental health, erm, issues.

"The fucker's a nutbag."

I'm s...sor... I...I...I...

It... That is not OK.

Sorry.

If I could add a...a...a... a mea culpa here,

rather than-than dancing around it.

Others may choose to attempt to wriggle off the hook of, er, shame,

but, um, I cannot.

I cannot deny that my name is on those e-mails,

and yet I do not recognise that man.

It is me and yet it is another, and for that I am, um, truly sorry.

This has been a humbling moment in my quest