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Contempt of Court Act 1981

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This is the original version (as it was originally enacted).

4Contemporary reports of proceedings

(1)Subject to this section a person is not guilty of contempt of court under the strict liability rule in respect of a fair and accurate report of legal proceedings held in public, published contemporaneously and in good faith.

(2)In any such proceedings the court may, where it appears to be necessary for avoiding a substantial risk of prejudice to the administration of justice in those proceedings, or in any other proceedings pending or imminent, order that the publication of any report of the proceedings, or any part of the proceedings, be postponed for such period as the court thinks necessary for that purpose.

(3)For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section and of section 3 of the [1888 c. 64.] Law of Libel Amendment Act 1888 (privilege) a report of proceedings shall be treated as published contemporaneously—

(a)in the case of a report of which publication is postponed pursuant to an order under subsection (2) of this section, if published as soon as practicable after that order expires;

(b)in the case of a report of committal proceedings of which publication is permitted by virtue only of subsection (3) of section 8 of the [1980 c. 43.] Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, if published as soon as practicable after publication is so permitted.

(4)Subsection (9) of the said section 8 is repealed.

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