JUDGES STATEMENT RE THE FAMILY COURTS

[Alison J Stevens]

http://timesonline.typepad.com/law/2010/01/judge-calls-for-press-ac...

Jan 04, 2010
Michael Herman
[e-mail]

The senior judge in charge of The Court of Protection - one of Britain’s most secret courts – says he supports moves to open proceedings to the press.

Denzil Lush, the senior judge in charge of the court at Archway, North London, has told The Times that he would favour bringing it into line with the rest of family courts and allowing media access, subject to reporting restrictions.

“I don’t have a problem with the media being present. There would, however, have to be anonymity for the vulnerable elderly people involved, the details of whose financial affairs were being exposed. I don’t think that they would want that all over the newspapers,” he said.

The Court of Protection looks after the affairs of people suffering from mental incapacity and hears most of its cases in private. It has been the target of hundreds of complaints.

Judge Lush’s comments come a month after Sir Mark Potter, the most senior family judge and president of the Court of Protection, set up a review of its rules and media access is expected to be on the agenda.

A case study on Heather Bateman, the children’s author, is also in today’s Times.