digress - lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking; "She always digresses when telling a story"; "her mind wanders"; "Don't digress when you give a lecture"
Directly addressing the validity of a central claim you made within the context of a debate is most certainly not digression. I'll get you a dictionary for Christmas, not a pirate based(sic) one, just a plain old Collins paperback.
On balance of evidence... keep it.You're wrong about piracy and stealing being the same thing. Either go and argue with the Lord Chief Justice about it or accept it and move on.