Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, was asked by the Society of Editors whether he supported proposals to televise sentencing, judges’ closing remarks and judgments. In response, he said:
“In principle I would support a proposal that judgments, judges’ closing remarks and judicial sentencing in criminal cases could be televised. There may be a case for going further, although I would obviously not want to promote anything that adversely affected the ability of victims or witnesses to give their best evidence to the court. Therefore there would need to be appropriate safeguards, particularly in cases involving vulnerable individuals, and any requests to televise any part of the court process should be subject to the judge’s individual discretion.
“But I think that there should be a presumption of openness in showing certain parts of a trial. I believe that transparency and visibility help the public understand how the criminal justice system works, and shining a light on the workings of the court room can only serve to boost its efficiency and effectiveness.”
