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Naming and shaming: Violation of Privacy

6 mins read
Newspapers across the UK are successfully challenging the courts to lift reporting restrictions in cases involving young people. PJ White investigates the impact this is having on young people's lives.

"Wildcat, 14, goes berserk in court," screamed The Sun headline.

"Drink driving Miss Crazy," reported the Daily Mirror. The papers were referring to the case of a 14-year-old girl who lashed out at a prosecutor and a magistrate in court after receiving a conviction for drink-driving.

A blurred-out photo of the girl throwing an egg accompanied the articles, which included details about her name, where she lived and her previous convictions.

The case was just one recent example of a court agreeing to lift reporting restrictions on young offenders and young people served with antisocial behaviour orders.

John Hawkins, a youth offending team manager in East Sussex, has worked in youth justice for 25 years and says he has never seen so many pictures of young people in newspapers. "I'm not sure if it's a conspiracy," says Hawkins. "But, bit by bit, the protection that it was always felt young people require, by virtue of their age and vulnerability, has been stripped away."

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