Judge to judge media reports on trial

Tuesday,  January 17, 2006

Both the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, (RCIPS) and Government Information Services, (GIS) issued releases on Friday 13 January informing the local media that his Honour Justice Dale Sanderson had on Thursday, 12 January made an order relative to media coverage of the Sheldon Brown trial taking place in his court. 

According to GIS, the media were told by the Judge in his order that they could not report on any of the trial’s proceedings without first submitting their proposed publication to both the crown and the defence and should either party object the judge would decide.

“If the crown and defence have an objection then it can be referred to me for resolution,” Judge Sanderson said in his order. “If there is an objection, then it can be referred to me for resolution.”

The RCIPS press statement said: “Any member of the media wishing to report on any aspects of this trial must first submit their intended dialogue to either Senior Crown Counsel Adam Roberts.... or James Justin Smith.... They in turn will review the content of the proposed report before making a decision on whether or not it can be disseminated to the public.”

The RCIPS press statement went on to say that the defendant’s right to a fair trial was of the utmost importance and it is vital that this right is not comprised in any way.

According to one member of the legal profession here, the law regarding the reporting of trials states clearly that any information heard by a jury in open court is reportable in the media.

In his order Judge Sanderson said he was making the order because there were two potential areas where the media, “went beyond what ought to be reported during the conduct of the proceedings.”

The Judge did not say to which media house he was referring.

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