Because the court did not operate on an "innocent until proven guilty" standard with which the First Doctor was more familiar, the senior judge offered to give the Time Lord wide latitude in mounting his defence of Ian. This apparent generosity of spirit allowed the Doctor to dramatically point the finger of guilt at Aydan in open court. Even this was not enough for the senior judge and his colleagues to overturn Ian's conviction. It was only when Ian had minutes left to live that the Doctor was able to offer conclusive proof which the senior judge accepted.