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CPS imposes ban on handing over evidence to journalists

The Crown Prosecution Service has slapped a ban on prosecutors and police from giving the press and media material used in evidence at trials.

Contacts have previously supplied reporters with transcripts, closed-circuit television footage and videotapes of interviews with suspects after major convictions.

Journalists will still be able to report on such evidence – but only from what they see in open court.

The existence of the guidance – which could seriously damage the ability of the press and media to report backgrounders on the investigations which lead to convictions in major cases – emerged only last week.

Journalists at a police and CPS briefing on the case of bus driver Michael Robinson were told they would not be allowed access to or still from CCTV footage which showed him following sports student Sara Cameron from a train.

Robinson murdered her just 100 yards from her home in Earsdon, north Tyneside, after following her as she left a late night Metro train from Newcastle, where she had been having farewell drinks with friends.

The briefing was held in advance of the trial on Thursday last week at which Robinson admitted the attempted rape and the murder of Miss Cameron.

A CPS spokeswoman told Media Lawyer magazine that the ban on allowing the media access to prosecution material was introduced after concerns were expressed. The decision to issue the guidelines was taken after the CPS received complaints that video and audiotapes were being passed to the media.

She said: “It is not correct to say we don’t give information to the press. We won’t give out evidence – prosecution evidence – any more.”

Asked what the concerns were, the spokeswoman said: “All I can say is that there were these concerns. We took counsel’s advice and that advice was that we should not be providing access to prosecution material to the media.”

When it was suggested that refusing to allow the press and media access to tapes and transcripts which had been played or read in open court ran contrary to the principle of open justice, the CPS spokeswoman said: “The media will still be able to report on the evidence which is given to the trial, they will be able to say what witnesses say under oath in the witness box.

“If transcripts of interview are read out they will be able to report that – the difference is that they won’t actually have video and audiotapes of interviews with suspects, for example, which are played in the court.”

The concerns related to “a certain number of cases” but she was not prepared to say which ones.

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