Law Lecture notes-week 2

How to react to a Crime Story unfolding

When reporting on crime you must always be aware of the risks involved. The main risks are that of Prejudice and Contempt. Prejudice within crime reporting could be judging somebody before a trial, which can contaminate their chances of a fair trial, which can lead to contempt of court.
The time when you are most at risk is when the there has been an arrest made, which is when the case becomes legally active.

During this time you are very limited as to what you can report on. These are as follows:
-Names of defendants, ages, addresses and occupations
-Charges faced or a close summary
-Name of court and magistrates names
-Names of solicitor's or Barrister's present
-Date and place to where case is adjourned
-Any arrangements as to bail
-Whether legal aid was granted.

Cases such as family disputes and motoring offences can be handled in a magistrates court. Magistrates have the power to jail an offender for up to six months, and can hand out fines of up to £5,000. They also have the power to give offenders community orders and ASBO's.

Key stages of a trial
-prosecution opening
-key prosecution witnesses
-defence opening
-key defence witnesses
-Judge's summing up
-Jury sent out, deliberation and verdict
-Sentencing

The main rules of court reporting are that the reports are fair, accurate, contemporaneous and that there is no recording during the trial.