TV cameras allowed in courts in England
Television cameras are to be allowed into crown courts, including the Old Bailey, for the first time.
The government said that judges’ sentencing remarks at eight courts in England and Wales would be filmed in a pilot scheme to start within weeks, The Times reports. If successful, it could pave the way for the first live television coverage of crown court cases.
The cameras will focus only on the judge passing sentence. There will be no footage of witnesses giving evidence or of any other part of the trial process, including filming of other court users.
Shailesh Vara, the justice minister, said: “My hope is that this will lead to more openness and transparency as to what happens in our courts.”
Safeguards will be put in place to make sure that victims are supported and that the administration of justice is not affected, the ministry said. The three-month pilot project will be run at the Old Bailey and at courts at Southwark in south London, Manchester (Crown Square), Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds and Cardiff.
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