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A statement made obiter dicta is 'by the way', or an aside. Sometimes the word obiter is used on its own for convenience. When considering precedent (see: Precedent), a judge need not necessarily take account of statements obiter in case reports. For example, if a previous judgement states that a decision would have been different 'if such-and-such had been the case', this is probably obiter, and this is not a binding precedent on the current case even if such-and-such is the case now.(example only)