Reporting restrictions and protection of identity
The law imposes strict restrictions on identifying juveniles involved in juvenile proceedings in the Juvenile Court or on appeal from the Juvenile Court.
No person may publish or broadcast a report revealing the name, address, or school, or any particulars calculated to lead to the identification of a juvenile. These restrictions apply to any juvenile involved in the case, whether they are the defendant or a witness.
It is also strictly prohibited to publish or broadcast photographs of the juvenile concerned in the proceedings.
Contravention is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of $10,000 and up to 6 months’ imprisonment. Those liable include proprietors, editors, publishers, and distributors of newspapers or periodicals, as well as those providing or transmitting a broadcast programme.
The court retains a discretionary power to dispense with these requirements only if it is satisfied that doing so is in the interests of justice.
The court may order that no questions be put to a witness that would lead to the disclosure of his name or address, requiring him instead to record such details in writing for the court’s custody.
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