From the day he was jailed, Nicholas Hoogstraten had an unshakeable belief the legal case against him was flimsy and that soon he would be free.

Now he has won the right to a retrial although he is still languishing in jail, having been remanded in custody.

Throughout his time in Belmarsh, Hoogstraten sent a series of letters to The Argus, neatly written on regulation prison notepaper, detailing flaws he felt he had found in the legal case.

His timing was out. He originally expected to be free as long ago as last September.

But he has never wavered for one moment in his belief that he would win. And he never seemed broken.

Today, the record has changed so he is no longer a convicted killer. Now he will be convinced the retrial will clear his name.

We will never know about huge areas of his life. Even the extent of his fortune is disputed because it is all in property, paintings and gold rather than in paper.

What is undoubted is his tenacity when in a tight corner and his will to win this case. It is all a matter of conviction.