Come on, Jim.  Aren't you in a business where the police get people to turn on their buddies?  I really don't think it takes much to get people to give in to pressure these days when it comes down to protecting their own best interests in a situation where they're pretty much hosed.

Life is too short to be some kind of respected but beaten down hero who is going to be forever destitute and living on the run or in homeless shelters under the giant shadow and incumberment of garnished wages for the rest of one's short life.

I'm not sure of what John's career or financial situation was before the event, but somehow I suspect he was not that well off as an independent journalist.  And unless there's a lot of family money like some of our Australian friends.

Wasn't the judgement that John was to pay about $100k?

That's a lot of money for someone who is in their 50's and who might not even have a real fulltime job, Jim.