Gwen Shlam's Blog: DPP Keir Starmer in favour of allowing cameras in court

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

DPP Keir Starmer in favour of allowing cameras in court

Head of Crown Prosecution Service says he would like to see TV cameras allowed in court rooms 'in principle'

The head of the Crown Prosecution Service has said he would like to see TV cameras allowed into court rooms "in principle" and that the idea could be implemented quickly if it was approved by the government.

Keir Starmer, the director of public prosecutions, added that allowing cameras into the courts would improve the public's perception of the judicial system.

"I would be in favour [of cameras] in criminal courts," he told BBC Radio 4's The Media Show on Wednesday. "In principle I would be in favour [of cameras in court] in both sets of proceedings [criminal and civil]."

He claimed that the majority of solicitors now favoured such a move in the belief that opening up the court system to greater public scrutiny would restore faith in the way they operate.

Starmer said: "The principal of open justice has been there for a very long time."

Broadcasters have been lobbying for some time to be allowed to film court proceedings, with Sky News particularly vocal on the subject.

Sky News wants to film parts of court hearings initially, such as judges' verdicts, but is open about the fact it would like full access eventually.

Starmer added that witness intimidation was a potential problem, but said measures could be put in place to guard against this and to protect "vulnerable" people including children and those with mental health issues.

"The judge can exercise that control" he said. "If there are vulnerable people that's a good reason not to have cameras... If limited parts [of proceedings] have to be excluded from the cameras then so be it."

Starmer added that fears cameras would lead to court hearings becoming sensationalised were misplaced and that the OJ Simpson trial in the US, which ended in the former football stars' acquittal and is often cited as a reason not to let cameras in, was now an out-of-date example to draw on.

"OJ is always given as the example of sensationalism, but a lot of lessons have been learned since then," he said. "After all, in a big case the court is always packed anyway, [and there are] cameras outside... There are plenty of examples other than OJ to show this builds confidence [in the system]."

Starmer added: "If there is a decision in principle that this should happen, it should happen fairly quickly."

The former Labour Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine approved the use of cameras in the court of appeal in 2004 as part of a pilot scheme, but the coverage was never shown.

? To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".

? To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook

James Robinson

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds