Contempt of court in 400 characters

28 November 2012

The Law Commission has launched a consultation addressing whether existing laws on contempt of court (which pre-date the internet age) are adequate enough to deal with the challenges being posed by new media, eg, Twitter.

Mark George QC was interviewed for Lexis Nexis Current Awareness and gave his views about this developing area.

“It is critical to the future health of trial by jury that new means of communication, especially those like social media that allow communication by those who are unfamiliar with the law relating to the reporting of proceedings in court, do not cause prejudice to those on trial or otherwise threaten the integrity of the trial process. If the law needs updating to ensure jury trials are not threatened in this way then this would be a welcome development.”

“In some way however the current law appears perfectly adequate. It seems to me the terms of CCA 1981, s 2 are already capable of applying to anyone who sent a communication about proceedings in court via Twitter or Facebook for example. After all, it should be borne in mind that the Lord Chief Justice (at the end of 2011) issued interim guidance on the use in court of Twitter by journalists so as to enable them to produce live reports of court proceedings.”

“However, allowing someone accused of contempt to be tried by a jury would involve a significant modification of the procedure used to deal with contempt of court but would afford an accused person greater protection than under the current procedure.”

Mark George QC is a barrister and Head of Chambers at Garden Court North Chambers.

Blog

Blog

Rosalind Burgin negotiates compassionate deal to keep single mother of three in her home

Garden Court North’s Rosalind secured a £7,000 rent arrears reduction for her client at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre (pictured). Credit: Marmalade Photos / Shutterstock....

Blog

Garden Court North stands in solidarity with Hillsborough victims and families on 36th anniversary

Fans pay tribute to the 97 Hillsborough victims before Liverpool FC’s Premier League match against West Ham United on 13 April, 2025, at Anfield Stadium,...

Blog

Charlotte Parry’s death contributed to by neglect on part of Greater Manchester Mental Health trust, inquest jury finds

The jury’s findings brought an end to an emotional two-week inquest at Manchester Coroner’s Court (pictured). Credit: Alex Blair / Garden Court North Chambers.  ...

Blog

Alexander McColl successfully secures interim relief in homelessness judicial review

Alexander represented his client (‘M’) at the Administrative Court in the Manchester Civil Justice Centre (pictured). Credit: Marmalade Photos / Shutterstock.   Garden Court North’s...

Sign up to our mailing list

Our mailing list is dedicated to professionals with an interest in our work.

Sign up