You cannot discuss the details of the case as the law bans the media from publishing or broadcasting, including on the internet, any comments or information that might seriously prejudice active legal proceedings, in particular criminal proceedings heard before juries, as to do so would be contempt of court.East Stand Faithful wrote:CPW is correct but also I was under the impression the following AUP taken from RLfans would apply to this forum also?
By registering an account you agree to follow this policy (the AUP), which applies to all sites on the RLFANS network, and includes private messages and emails sent via the site as well as postings made in public areas.
"1. Prohibited content
1.3. Matter that are sub judice cannot be discussed.
* Under British law, when a matter becomes sub judice - from the moment a charge is filed or hearing arranged and until a resolution is reached - publishers are restricted under criminal penalty to what can be published so that they don’t prejudice a case.
* The definition of published content includes web sites and postings on message boards."
An example would be the publication or broadcast, once proceedings are active, of the fact that a person charged with a criminal offence has a previous criminal record, as this is likely to prejudice anyone who may serve on a jury.
To highlight what can and cannot be discussed, you can look at recent cases that have been reported in the media such as the Stuart Hall case. It was reported that he had been arrested and charged with sexual abuse and it was reported that he appeared at magistrates where he was committed to trial and the date of said trial was also published.
What wasn't allowed to be said sub judice was, who the victims were and what exactly he did to them. If you read fully the text of your own post, ie 'publishers are restricted ... to what can be published', it means exactly that; you can publish some things, but not others.
In any event cp has pointed out the reasons behind people's reluctance to say anything, I fully respect that reason and I am happy in my ignorance