A judge has called for some traumatic scenes in court to be televised to show the devastation wreaked by road deaths (BBC News).
Judge Jacobs said he was not generally in favour of cameras in court but that “people need to see the effect that death has” in particular cases.
Speaking to the BBC, he added: “I don’t think it’s a good idea to have televisions in court normally because court isn’t theatre and also you have to think about the effect on the witnesses and the jurors, who will then be seen by everybody. There’s enough trauma involved in court cases as it is.”
But he said he was in favour of sentencing hearings being televised in certain cases involving fatal road accidents.
He said: “In this particular case, I think people need to see the effect that death has – the effect that road accident deaths have.”
“It’s traumatic. You have got the grieving relatives. You have often got the defendant in the dock who wishes it had never happened or in other cases a truly dreadful defendant who has a series of previous convictions.
“I do think people need to see the trauma of cases like this. I would like to think it would make people think twice.”
Click here to read the full BBC News story.
Just what we don’t need, more emotive hysteria. However traumatic and tragic such events are, they MUST be dealt with in a professional and calm manner. Televising them for entertainment or propaganda purposes is obnoxious.
Chris, Birmingham
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