No camera recording in the Magistrate's Court

[Barker]

Magistrate courts are extremely resistant to the idea of people camera recording their own cases. Is this legal? The Magistrate's Court is a public building.

[islandgirl]

Yes and you can come and watch a case (except in certain circumstances). Recording is not allowed. Who would wish to be a witness against someone if they were being recorded by the defendant or their family. The rules are there for a reason. Can you tell us what your problem is with the Magistrates court rather than asking lots of individual questions. Do you have a council tax liability order case coming up for example?

[Barker]

Yes and you can come and watch a case (except in certain circumstances). Recording is not allowed. Who would wish to be a witness against someone if they were being recorded by the defendant or their family. The rules are there for a reason. Can you tell us what your problem is with the Magistrates court rather than asking lots of individual questions. Do you have a council tax liability order case coming up for example?

Recording is not allowed - who is not allowing it and what authority do they have not to allow it? I thought photography was legal in all public places.

[islandgirl]

Is it legal in Crown Court?

[R0b]

It has long been a criminal offence to record or phootgraph court proceedings without the court's permission - it is classed as contempt of court.

[EXC]

I thought photography was legal in all public places.

Try photographing children in a public playground or bikini clad women on a beach and quoting that to the police when you get arrested.

[Barker]

Try photographing children in a public playground or bikini clad women on a beach and quoting that to the police when you get arrested.

True. But the arrest would not be for filming in a public place. I would prefer to film a magistrate's court which claimed to have a magistrate present but didn't.

[R0b]

True. But the arrest would not be for filming in a public place. I would prefer to film a magistrate's court which claimed to have a magistrate present but didn't.

So long as you are prepared to potentially risk jail time, go for it.

[islandgirl]

Can you time travel? If you are trying to prove that something that happened several years ago happened without a magistrate and are able to film it happening then why are you worried? Use your time travel abilities to make a few bets and pay off the debt that way?