Contempt of court laws should be re-examined and research done into whether pre-trial and in-trial media coverage influences jurors, the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith QC, has said.

The Government's senior law officer said it may help if more details of ongoing cases were published, and in major police investigations there may need to be a system which allowed journalists to give more information in a "controlled and considered" way.

In a speech to the Reform Club in London, Lord Goldsmith said: "I believe that we should look at providing more, but controlled, information to the public in other cases where there is a strong public interest.

"A consistent concern expressed to me is that the absence of information on cases pending, especially after high-profile arrests, can be very damaging."

He said the "radio silence" after a high-profile arrest - such as a terror operation - could give the impression of a case collapsing or of "trumping up charges".

He said: "There is a very proper public interest in knowing what the risks are in our society.

"So I believe, therefore, we should re-examine this issue.

"Having fair trials is imperative but I am in favour of examining whether we can be more open about such cases in a controlled and considered basis but still consistent with the imperative requirements of justice."

Lord Goldsmith said he would welcome the opportunity for more regular dialogue with the media over contempt-related issues in general.