This was written on the NSC Brighton forum, and seems good advice for the future for any forum:
"As a newspaper editor for the past 22 years I am offering this legal advice:
When someone is arrested by the police and taken in for questioning, we have what in our legal system is known as an 'active case'.
IF you discuss the case and arrests, circumstances, place conjecture or opinion in anyway publicly (ie on an internet forum, Twitter, facebook or in any written publication) you could be guilty or contempt of court, subjudicy and perverting the course of justice. These are criminal offences. You could be arrested, charged and if found guilty face a prison sentence; as could the owner and moderator of the website.
IF you name the people arrested (without the police or courts naming them first) you can be sued for defamation if the person named is later found to be innocent. There is even a clause of 'libel by innuendo' so the Buckaroo comments must be very careful. Take in mind these footballers are quite wealthy and their lawyers could well advise them to sue anyone who has named them as a sexual assault suspect.
I am now leaving NSC for a while, like a few others, while this all blows over. "
Well, the North Stand Chat bosses are even talking of shutting the whole site down for a period if people don't toe the line on not commenting anything personal! I think they've had police advice ..
This was written on the NSC Brighton forum, and seems good advice for the future for any forum:
"As a newspaper editor for the past 22 years I am offering this legal advice:
When someone is arrested by the police and taken in for questioning, we have what in our legal system is known as an 'active case'.
IF you discuss the case and arrests, circumstances, place conjecture or opinion in anyway publicly (ie on an internet forum, Twitter, facebook or in any written publication) you could be guilty or contempt of court, subjudicy and perverting the course of justice. These are criminal offences. You could be arrested, charged and if found guilty face a prison sentence; as could the owner and moderator of the website.
IF you name the people arrested (without the police or courts naming them first) you can be sued for defamation if the person named is later found to be innocent. There is even a clause of 'libel by innuendo' so the Buckaroo comments must be very careful. Take in mind these footballers are quite wealthy and their lawyers could well advise them to sue anyone who has named them as a sexual assault suspect.
I am now leaving NSC for a while, like a few others, while this all blows over. "
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yep, true, I suppose it's only in case individuals were named as definitive 'culprits' without any sort of proof, and not the general reporting which should be OK... but don't listen to me, I'm not up on the legal stuff!