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Law: in brief (4)

01 March 1994

Journalist's source protected: A journalist who wrote a critical article about the escape from Broadmoor of two convicted murderers based on a leaked confidential report did not have to reveal his source, the High Court held. The hospital authorities wanted to know who had leaked the report, but had failed to make any inquiries themselves. The judge held that disclosure of a source could only be ordered under the 1981 Contempt of Court Act if the hospital could show that it was necessary in the interests of justice to do so, and they had not made out a case that it was.

Broadmoor Hospital v Hyde Independent 4.3.94.

Judges breakdown: According to figures from Hansard, as of October/November 1993, there were 95 High Court judges of whom six were women. There were no Black or Asian High Court Judges. There were 279 full-time District Judges (County Court) of whom 22 were women and one was Asian; another five women and one Asian, out of a total of seventeen, were full time District Judges in the Family Division. Of 797 Queen's Counsel in private practice 41 were women. It was believed that there were three Black and five Asian Queen's Counsel.

Hansard 29.11.93, cols 285, 287-288