Prosecution evidence material from court trials could be released to the press after all, following a partial climbdown by the Crown Prosecution Service on a ban imposed last month.

Interview transcripts, still from video footage and photos used in court were all subject to the ban.

But Media Lawyer reports that "non-contentious" material can still be handed over, while other items would be subject to consideration.

Items which could still fall under the ban include pictures of defendants shortly before or during the crime, video tapes of police interviews and medical statements.

Non-contentious material includes maps, diagrams and police "mugshots", videos of the scene of a crime, sections of interview transcripts as read out in court and videos of seized property.

The original ban was imposed after complaints emerged about certain cases but more detailed guidance was revealed by the CPS after calls following the blanket ban.

Media Lawyer editor Mike Dodd said: "This is a climbdown because their initial reaction was to say that none of this material could be made public.

"Now they have divided the material into two categories - one of which will be released and one which may be released after they have had a think about it.

"It is a step in the right direction but it is nowhere near maintaining open justice. To say that anything that has been shown to a jury should then be kept from the public is contrary to the principles of open justice."

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