§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Attorney-General whether he proposes to authorise proceedings under section 3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 against the editors or publishers of those newspapers which published reports of events which occurred at the remand hearing of Mr. Fahad Mihyi at Marlborough Street magistrates' court on 23rd August 1978.
§ The Attorney-General:This matter was brought to my attention by the Director of Public Prosecutions and I am satisfied that reports of what occurred at 725W the remand hearing contained in a substantial number of newspapers contravened section 3 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967—" Restrictions on reports of committal proceedings ".
This section applies with equal force to remand hearings as to the subsequent hearing at which the court considers the evidence as examining magistrates. Nothing which is said by the accused or anyone else in court at any of these hearings, and no incident which occurs whilst the accused is before the court, may be reported other than as is expressly permitted by the section.
Having carefully considered all the circumstances of the present case, I consider it sufficient to draw attention to the provisions of the section and I have decided that it is not necessary for me to authorise the institution of proceedings.