Judge bans tweeting from Harry Redknapp tax trial after reporter tweets name of juror

The judge in Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp's tax trial has banned the use of Twitter in court after a breach of reporting restrictions.

Redknapp (pictured) is currently appearing at Southwark Crown Court in relation to tax evasion charges, which he has denied.

The Twitter ban was announced by Judge Anthony Leonard QC today (24 January), after a reporter was understood to have tweeted the name of a juror, which resulted in the jury having to be discharged and a new one sworn in.

According to a Judicial Office statement, the same reporter is believed to have reported the evidence of a witness given under oath while the jury was not present. As a result, the judge has referred the matter to Attorney General Dominic Grieve.

The statement adds that the judge has "encouraged reporters to speak to their newspaper or broadcaster's legal departments if they are in any doubt about what can and cannot be reported".

Reporting of the trial via Twitter in court had initially been permitted by the judge, provided that it was carried out silently and without distracting the jury, and that the tweets related to factual matters only and did not contain personal comment.

John Black QC at 18 Red Lion Court is leading for the prosecution in the case.

The news comes after the Lord Chief Justice last month issued guidance on the use of live-text communications in court, clearing the way for the use of Twitter in court to become more common.

The Master of the Rolls, Lord Neuberger, also last year offered his support for the practice of tweeting from court, stating: "Why force a journalist or a member of the public to rush out of court in order to telephone or text the contents of his notes written in court, when he can tweet as unobtrusively as he can write?

"We should foster the already developing community of active informed court reporting on the internet through blogs and tweeting."

Click here for the Lord Chief Justice's guidance on 'live, text-based communications from court'.

Related:

• Avoiding contempt of court: tips for bloggers and tweeters
• What not to tweet - a lawyer's guide