The journalist Ed Moloney goes to court tomorrow without the documents he believes could help save him from jail for refusing to hand over notes of an interview with the man charged with murdering the Belfast solicitor, Mr Pat Finucane.
In the High Court in Belfast yesterday, Mr Justice Kerr refused to grant Mr Moloney discovery of the statements made by Mr William Stobie when he was arrested soon after Mr Finucane was murdered by the UFF in 1989.
It was not until the Stevens inquiry team was brought in last April that Mr Stobie, a self-confessed RUC informer, was charged with the Finucane murder.
Mr Moloney, Northern editor of the Sunday Tribune, said outside the court: "We are very, very disappointed. We think these documents would shed a very valuable light back on the events in 1989.".
His application for judicial review of Mr Justice Hart's order to hand over his notes is due to be heard by Mr Justice Kerr in the High Court tomorrow.
Mr Moloney has refused to comply with the order on the grounds it would jeopardise his career and be a breach of journalistic ethics. If the court case goes against him he faces a heavy fine or imprisonment.