Quote: Raymond Terrific @ September 7 2013, 12:20 AM BSTWould it be possible to anonymise the defendant while still letting in the public and press?
Can't really see how. The jury have to be able to see the defendant's face, to hear his name. Part of the battle when you are defending is to turn the defendant into a person for the jury - it is much harder to convict someone once you feel that you know them and can empathise with them.
I suppose the secondary argument is to extend the anonymity given to complainants in sex cases (that their identities are not published, although anyone can walk into court and discover exactly who they are) to defendants.
The problem is, it is very unattractive. Censorship of the press is serious business. Unless it is a kid/complainant in a sex case, it is very difficult to get a judge to impose reporting restrictions, and rightly so.
Take the Huhne/Pryce affair. We have a right to know about that, and we had a right to know about it as it was happening. It is a slippery slope when we start restricting what our press tell us on the basis of what conclusions may or may not be drawn.
I agree the current situation is not ideal, but the alternative is far worse.