Mr Butt admitted meeting Mr Mirza on January 28 and revealing campaigners had lost, he said.
But he added his clients weren t aware Mr Mirza would share the verdict on WhatsApp, saying there was no evidence the activist was guilty of contempt of court.
The barrister said the indiscretion had not given any advantage to campaigners. The judgement s full text had also not been divulged.
The message - which said We re very sorry, we ve lost - was anodyne and deleted early on. Mr Butt also apologised profusely, Mr Hoar added.
A second message in another WhatsApp group was not deleted though Mr Butt didn t send it, the court heard.