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TV cameras will be allowed into trials for the first time in the UK from tomorrow, but will only be able to film for a few minutes.
Coverage will be limited to the judge handing down a sentence and explaining his reasons, to avoid broadcasting any violent or abusive reactions, according to Sky News.
The first televised sentencing, which will make history, will take place at the Old Bailey on Thursday, featuring the case of 25-year-old Ben Oliver, who admitted manslaughter after stabbing his elderly grandfather to death.
Viewers will be able to see inside the courtroom for about 30 minutes, but the cameras will be firmly fixed on the judge with no view of the defendant, victims, jurors, lawyers or witnesses.
Gangster Kenny Noye told the judges: “I hope you all die of cancer!”
This is to avoid reactions like in the case of gangster Kenny Noye, who was convicted of stealing £26 million worth of gold bullion, telling the jury: “I hope you all die of cancer!”
Or the case of football hooligan Matthew Simmons, jailed after an on-field clash with Manchester United star Eric Cantona.
Only Crown Court proceedings will be televised under the new law change, which was passed in 2020.
Mr Burnett said: Open justice is important and the conviction of serious criminal cases is something in which there is a legitimate public interest.
“It has always seemed to me that this is a part of the criminal process that can be recorded and broadcast in many cases, but not all, without prejudice to the administration of justice or the interests of justice.
The Old Bailey in central London, where tomorrow’s case will be filmed, is the scene of many real dramas.”
The serial killer, the Yorkshire Ripper, the Kray twin gangsters and Ruth Ellis, the last woman in Britain to be hanged, were all tried there.
Image: Gangster Kenny Noye told his jury: “I hope you all die of cancer.”
Former cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken was jailed there in 1999 for fraud.
He said: Of course I felt very bad when I was sentenced and I think I would have felt even worse if I knew it was being broadcast on television.
“The crime has been committed, guilt has been proven, punishment is coming, so justice is being done as openly and visibly as possible, which I think is absolutely right.”
Ruth Ellis, the last woman in Britain to be hanged
Courts have always been open to the public, but most have only a few seats available, meaning people mostly have to rely on the eyewitness accounts of court reporters.
Cameras were first allowed in the Supreme Court in 2009 and then in the Court of Appeal four years later.
Head of Sky News John Ryley said: This is a very significant moment for the opening of our courts. It is a further step towards the transparency of a truly serious institution, the judicial system.
For years, the judiciary opposed courtroom cameras, fearing the distress of victims and witnesses, the temptation for lawyers to expose themselves, the risk of disclosure of confidential documents and concerns that courtrooms could become entertainment theaters.
Cameras were allowed in Scottish courts in 1992 and are allowed in courts around the world to varying degrees, notably in Australia, South Africa, the Netherlands and Ukraine.
In the United States, some trials are broadcast in full and often in painful detail.
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