Incorporates full analysis of the impact of the Human Rights Act, including discussion of the relevant case-law under the European Convention on Human Rights
Includes detailed coverage of the impact of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act, which is due to come into force in the first half of 2000.
Revised and considerably expanded over the second edition, and up to date to November 1999.
Comprehensive and analytical coverage of major developments in UK, European Court of Human Rights and Commonwealth case-law.
Contempt of court has been aptly described as the Proteus of the legal world, assuming an almost infinite diversity of forms. Its central concern is to protect the administration of justice in criminal and civil cases, addressing, for example, the perennial conflict between the requirements of a fair and unprejudiced trial and those from freedom of expression. It is also concerned to protect witnesses from being victimized and courts from being subjected to destructive criticism in the press, or disruptive conduct during their proceedings. Similarly, it provides the ultimate sanction to secure the enforcement of court orders. A further major clash of interests is between the demands of 'open justice' and the numerous restrictions on reporting which now exist, for example to confer anonymity on children and on complainants in sexual cases and on other vulnerable witnesses. These are discussed in detail, particularly in the light of the changes associated with the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.
