Crown courts are not renowned for keeping lengthy hours of work, with a typical day’s sitting running from 10.30am until 4.30pm, with an hour allowed for lunch.

But you can always rely on a major sporting event to disrupt the status quo.

And so it transpired that as the nation prepared for England’s clash with Sweden in the second group game of the Euro 2012 Championship a couple of Fridays ago, Oxford Crown Court was not running to schedule.

In fact, one judge’s decision to reward a violent burglar with a custodial sentence at the almost-unheard-of hour of 5.45pm spelled disaster for football-loving court workers.

Sadly for security staff, the ‘lags wagon’ had long since made its last trip of the day to Bullingdon Prison, near Bicester, so alternative overnight accommodation had to be hurriedly sought by staff for the criminal.

While this paper’s court reporter was just about able to write up the day’s proceedings in time to grab a seat in a pub before kick-off, the poor security staff responsible for the prisoner did not knock off until deep into the second half.

County councillor Lawrie Stratford, who chairs the council’s safer and stronger communities scrutiny committee, recently revealed he has been learning German.

Now new County Hall leader Ian Hudspeth has stressed the importance of business growth.

So is Mr Stratford’s bid to master the tongue of Europe’s economic powerhouse all part of the growth masterplan?

Or is he just eyeing a holiday on the River Rhine?

Print journalists are not renowned for their looks, but the Insider hears one of our own could soon be an oil painting.

Oxford Mail features editor Jeremy Smith is rumoured to be reprising his role as the city’s Victorian engineer William White, possibly in the form of a digital interactive portrait.

Mr Smith played White at last weekend’s opening of the Explore Oxford galleries at the Town Hall and the two men appear kindred spirits.

White is the father of the city’s modern sewer network and Mr Smith is the city council’s “toilet tsar”, charged with helping give our 21st century public conveniences a new flush of life.

Readers will be relieved to hear the talking painting is more likely to be dishing out historic facts in the museum than reprimands to those failing to wash their hands in the Gloucester Green loos.

The prize for British tweet of the week goes to NHS Oxfordshire. “Inspired by Wimbledon?” they declared on Twitter.

Yes, the Insider thought, they’re talking about that plucky British spirit, despite the bleak forecasts both on and off the court….

But alas, it was Blighty’s penchant for pessimism that had grabbed our health officials.

“Make sure you warm up to avoid sprains and strains” our joyful NHS friends continued.