Supply to the public, including reporters, of information about a case
This section has no associated Explanatory Memorandum
5.8.—(1) This rule applies where a member of the public, including a reporter, wants information about a case from the court officer.
(2) Such a person must—
(a)apply to the court officer;
(b)specify the information requested; and
(c)pay any fee prescribed.
(3) The application—
(a)may be made orally, giving no reasons, if paragraph (4) requires the court officer to supply the information requested;
(b)must be in writing, unless the court otherwise permits, and must explain for what purpose the information is required, in any other case.
(4) The court officer must supply to the applicant—
(a)any information listed in paragraph (6), if—
(i)the information is available to the court officer,
(ii)the supply of the information is not prohibited by a reporting restriction, and
(iii)the trial has not yet concluded, or the verdict was not more than 6 months ago; and
(b)details of any reporting or access restriction ordered by the court.
(5) The court officer will supply that information—
(a)by word of mouth; or
(b)by such other arrangements as the Lord Chancellor directs.
(6) The information that paragraph (4) requires the court officer to supply is—
(a)the date of any hearing in public, unless any party has yet to be notified of that date;
(b)each alleged offence and any plea entered;
(c)the court’s decision at any hearing in public, including any decision about—
(i)bail, or
(ii)the committal, sending or transfer of the case to another court;
(d)whether the case is under appeal;
(e)the outcome of any trial and any appeal; and
(f)the identity of—
(i)the prosecutor,
(ii)the defendant,
(iii)the parties’ representatives, including their addresses, and
(iv)the judge, magistrate or magistrates, or justices’ legal adviser by whom a decision at a hearing in public was made.
(7) If the court so directs, the court officer will—
(a)supply to the applicant, by word of mouth, other information about the case; or
(b)allow the applicant to inspect or copy a document, or part of a document, containing information about the case.
(8) The court may determine an application to which paragraph (7) applies—
(a)at a hearing, in public or in private; or
(b)without a hearing.
[Note. The supply of information about a case is affected by—
(a)Articles 6, 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the court’s duty to have regard to the importance of—
(i)dealing with criminal cases in public, and
(ii)allowing a public hearing to be reported to the public;
(b)the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 () (section 5 of the Act () lists sentences and rehabilitation periods);
(c)section 18 of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 ();
(d)the Sexual Offences (Protected Material) Act 1997 ();
(e)the Data Protection Act 1998 ();
(f)section 20 of the Access to Justice Act 1999 (); and
(g)reporting restrictions, rules about which are contained in Part 16 (Reporting, etc. restrictions).]