Will their be media at magistrates for plea hearing?
Notifications OFFDoes anyone know or experienced any press or media turning up for a plea hearing at magistrates please, or is it just at crown for sentencing?
We have our sons plea hearing in 3 weeks and would just like to be prepared.
Thanks
Hi, I’m really sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but yes, the media can and often do attend Magistrates’ Court plea hearings if the case is of interest to them.
We live in a small area, and our local newspaper tends to report on cases like this quite regularly. Stories of this nature tend to generate a lot of clicks and comments, which in turn helps the paper’s visibility and engagement. Unfortunately, that means they’re often keen to attend hearings and publish details, even at the plea stage.
The positive side is that there are plenty of people on here who've escaped media attention and it does appear that you are less likely to generate media interest if you live in a bigger town.
I really hope your person manages to avoid it but it’s better to be prepared for the possibility rather than caught off guard.
At least we know to prepare, thanks