LAWYERS acting for North-East conman George Steen are to press on with his appeal despite being told they cannot question a jury member over her flirtatious behaviour.

Barristers claim the jury in fraud case of Mr Steen, from Darlington, could have been influenced by the female jury chairman, who sent an amorous note and a bottle of champagne to the leading prosecutor. But the Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the rule that no one can inquire into a jury's secret deliberations and neither the forewoman nor the other ten jurors can be approached.

Steen's lawyers will still pursue an appeal, but will be restricted to arguing that, on the face of the woman's letter to Richard Latham QC, there was "an appearance of bias".

Mr Latham, who also prosecuted in the Soham murder trial, received the note a few weeks after the fraud case had ended.

The woman wrote: "What does a lady need to do to attract your attention?" and gave her telephone number.

Mr Latham returned the champagne and informed the trial judge, defence counsel and the Serious Fraud Office.

At a preliminary appeal hearing yesterday, Mr Latham told three judges in London he had had "no contact whatsoever with the juror outside the courtroom during the trial or thereafter".

Lord Justice Rose, sitting with Mr Justice Poole and Mr Justice Davis, said: "Everybody seems to think you behaved very properly in telling everyone all about it."

Steen, 55, of Geneva Road, was jailed for six years in June last year for his part in a scam in which businessmen were offered bogus loans.

Steen's solicitor, Peter Krivinskas, said last night that defence lawyers would still argue that the woman could have had influenced the jury.

He said: "This woman has clearly got her own agenda. She obviously would have made up her mind to get in touch with Mr Latham to try and set up some sort of meeting.

"She would hardly be able to do that very easily on the back of an acquittal.

"In these circumstances perhaps you can say she had a hidden agenda of trying to secure a conviction."