Government suspends major open justice project used for magistrates' court reporting
The Government has confirmed it is working on a new arrangement to help journalists report on magistrates courts, after it suspended a major open justice project used by the media.
Courtsdesk, which was run by News UK, helped more than 1,500 reporters from 39 different publishing groups search through magistrates courts lists.
It was launched in 2020, following an agreement with HM Courts & Tribunal Service and the then lord chancellor Chris Philp.
However, this week HMCTS confirmed the digital platform would be suspended citing the “responsibility to protect the personal and sensitive information entrusted to us”.
Courtsdesk founder Enda Leahy told The Sun: “If they were interested in open justice, they’d speak to us. It’s clear they don’t want to listen.”
Courts Minister Sarah Sackman KC told the House of Commons: “I have a concern that people should know what goes on in our courts.
“It is a way of enhancing transparency and of informing and educating the public.”
The Government body however confirmed that journalists would continue to have access to the court information from individual magistrates’ courts.
A spokesperson said: “The Government is committed to open justice and we are ensuring that journalists continue to have full access to information from the courts to ensure accurate reporting.
“We are also working on providing a new licensing arrangement which will allow third parties to apply to use our data. We will provide more information on this in the coming weeks.
"We take the protection of people's privacy extremely seriously and will always take appropriate action to safeguard the processing of personal data.”
Magistrates’ courts sit below crown courts in the criminal justice system and see all criminal cases. A team of magistrates assesses ccrimes such as shoplifting, handing out a maximum sentence of six months in jail.