Twitter to warn users of contempt rules

Users of Twitter and Facebook are to be warned about the dangers of committing contempt of court when posting comments online.

Dominic Grieve QC, the attorney-general, is to publish advisory notes on the internet and on Twitter to help prevent social media users from inadvertently publishing something that could threaten a fair trial.

Such notices have previously only been circulated to the print and broadcast media. They warn that any comments on high-profile cases need to comply with the Contempt of Court Act 1981.

The decision to circulate the warnings more widely is a recognition of the influence of social media and aims to highlight the legal pitfalls of commenting on court cases in a prejudicial way.

Unlike the US, the UK has strict laws about what can be reported before and during a criminal trial. Juries are also reminded by judges to focus on the evidence that is put before them in court and to ignore anything they might have seen in newspapers or online.

However, the growth of social media sites such as Twitter that allow instant publication to millions of people has led to challenges for the criminal justice system.

Mr Grieve said: "Blogs and social media sites like Twitter and Facebook mean that individuals can now reach thousands of people with a single tweet or post.

"In days gone by, it was only the mainstream media that had the opportunity to bring information relating to a court case to such a large group of people that it could put a court case at risk. That is no longer the case, and is why I have decided to publish the advisories that I have previously only issued to the media," he added.

The attorney-general has instigated several prosecutions against newspapers and social media users for contempt of court and breaching court orders.

Two men who used Twitter and Facebook to publish photographs purporting to show the killers of James Bulger, a toddler murdered in Liverpool, were given suspended sentences of 15 months in April after breaching a court order. A third man who attempted to identify one of the killers by posting photographs online was given a suspended sentence last month.

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