ChatterBank3 mins ago
too young to be named
i know a boy of 17 who has just been in court for a most horrendous crime against animals,but he can't be named for legal reasons.does this mean that i would be breaking the law if i told anyone who he is?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.The Children and Young Persons Act 1933 provides a facility for courts to order the prevention of publication of any information which would lead to the identity being revealed of a person under 18 who has participated in court proceedings.
The order can apply to defendants, witnesses and complainants.
In a youth court (which deals with people aged under 18) the order is automatic. (In fact the public � including the press - are not permitted to observe proceedings in youth courts). If a young person appears for any reason in an adult court the order has to be specifically made.
However, these orders only apply to media publications (of all sorts). They do not apply to you as an individual speaking about the matter and in so doing naming the person involved.
However, the Derbyshire Times (or any other media organisation) would breach the order if they published any identifying information which you (or anybody else) gave them, even though they may not have been present at the proceedings when the order was made.
The maximum penalty for breaching such an ordfer is a fine of �5,000
The order can apply to defendants, witnesses and complainants.
In a youth court (which deals with people aged under 18) the order is automatic. (In fact the public � including the press - are not permitted to observe proceedings in youth courts). If a young person appears for any reason in an adult court the order has to be specifically made.
However, these orders only apply to media publications (of all sorts). They do not apply to you as an individual speaking about the matter and in so doing naming the person involved.
However, the Derbyshire Times (or any other media organisation) would breach the order if they published any identifying information which you (or anybody else) gave them, even though they may not have been present at the proceedings when the order was made.
The maximum penalty for breaching such an ordfer is a fine of �5,000
Exceptionally, a judge in a Crown Court trial may direct the reporting restrictions be lifted and the young defendant may be named in the press.Otherwise the law protects young individuals from being identified directly or by reference to their family.(Whether the age limit is now too high is another matter. There must be some restriction on reporting on, and identifying , the young)
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