Television cameras will be allowed to broadcast from Crown Courts in England and Wales for the first time, following draft legislation due to be laid by the government today.
Proceedings are currently broadcast from certain Court of Appeal cases. Extending this to the Crown Court means the public will be able to hear judges explain the reasons behind their sentences for the most serious offences.
Filming will be restricted to sentencing remarks only and no other court user – including victims, witnesses, jurors and court staff – will be filmed.
Justice Secretary & Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland said:
This government, alongside the judiciary, is committed to improving public understanding of our justice system and allowing cameras into the Crown Court will do just that.
It will ensure our courts remain open and transparent and allow people to see justice being delivered to the most serious of offenders.
Today’s legislation follows a successful three-month pilot that allowed not-for-broadcast sentencing remarks to be filmed in eight Crown Courts and has been welcomed by ITN, Sky and the BBC.
John Battle, Head of Compliance at ITN, said:
This is a landmark moment and an important day for open justice and transparency of our legal system. For the first time the public will see images of proceedings in the Crown Court on television news.
This change will help a wider audience to see and understand the criminal justice process for themselves.
