Contempt

The centuries-old distinction between "criminal contempt" and "civil contempt" will be scrapped in England under proposals set out by the Law Commission of England and Wales. 'Contempt of court' refers to a wide variety of conduct that may impede or interfere with the administration of justice, for

A justice in the High Court of England and Wales has found a man to be in contempt of court after finding he had repeatedly lied under oath and attempted to have another man pose as him during remote proceedings. Tesco Stores Ltd raised a claim against Shahin Mouradi alleging acts of dishonesty in a

The Attorney General for Northern Ireland has issued a pointed reminder about contempt of court laws amid widespread speculation regarding criminal charges against former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. Sir Jeffrey resigned from the party leadership after being charged with one count of rape, one

The Court of Appeal has determined that a prisoner who threw a Bible at a sentencing judge was liable for disciplinary action by the prison governor and that this jurisdiction co-existed with the court’s contempt jurisdiction. Delivering judgment for the Court of Appeal, Ms Justice Úna

Northern Ireland’s High Court has fined a Tyrone farmer £5,500 for contempt after he breached previous court undertakings on eight separate occasions. Despite the clear evidence of breaches, the court did not find that imprisonment for contempt was appropriate. This case involved two app

The High Court has released Enoch Burke from prison, stating that this was “one of the very rare cases where the coercive imprisonment should stop”. It was held that Mr Burke was motivated to remain in prison, having made a number of illogical decisions during the course of the litigatio

The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of a man who was found guilty of contempt.  Background

Contempt of court proceedings against Facebook and Twitter, where the identities of the two boys who murdered schoolgirl Ana Kriegel were shared, have been stuck out, despite the continuation of "alarming posts" online. An injunction compelling Facebook Ireland Limited and Twitter International Comp

A newspaper editor has been fined €4,500 after being found guilty of contempt of court for a front-page headline and article that "posed a real risk" to the trial of two boys convicted of murdering 14-year-old Anastasia Kriégel. Sebastian Hamilton, editor of the Irish Daily Mail, must pa

A judge will decide on Monday whether a newspaper editor is responsible for a front page story during the Ana Kriegel murder trial that led to his newspaper being barred from reporting the court proceedings. Associated News (Ireland) Ltd, owners of the Daily Mail newspaper, accepted its responsibili

A landmark ruling from the Supreme Court is likely to bring significant changes to the way in which contempt of court charges are brought forward and dealt with in the Irish courts. The court today handed down its judgment in a judicial review brought by Kevin Tracey against District Judge Aeneas Mc

The Director of Public Prosecutions has launched proceedings for contempt against the Irish Independent following the collapse of a rape trial late last year. The proceedings against publisher Independent News & Media, Irish Independent editor Fionnán Sheehan and journalist Nicola Anderso