A reporter in Milton Keynes has successfully challenged a court which wrongly imposed a section 39 order on a dead child.

Alicia Babaee, who has worked for MKNEWS for almost three years, was reporting on a baby manslaughter case at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court when magistrates made the order to ban identification of both the child and the defendant.

The defendant has been charged with manslaughter following the death of his baby son.

The infant died on January 14, 2006, aged 11 months.

Alicia, who only recently passed her NCTJ law exams, said: “When the magistrate announced that a section 39 order was being placed on both the father and the son, I wasn’t expecting it as the baby was dead.

“I felt sure they weren’t allowed to impose the order in these circumstances.

“I immediately consulted my law books, and wrote a letter to the magistrate referring them to the relevant laws and specific cases.

“I was pleased when the clerk called me later that day to tell me that I was right and the orders had been rescinded in open court.

“There was no good reason for making the order.”

The case was committed to the crown court where the defendant faces a preliminary hearing later this month.