Barbara Gayle, Staff Reporter

Reporters from the several media houses covering cases in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's (Criminal) Court say they are being hampered in getting relevant information because of new directives issued recently, by a court official.

"There are no seats for the members of the press in any of the courtrooms and so the reporters have to sit with members of the public at the back of the courtroom," a reporter said.

The reporters complained that it was difficult at times to hear what the Resident Magistrate or the Clerk of the Courts was saying from where they were sitting because there are no microphones in the courtrooms.

"I went to sit at the front in one of the courtrooms so I could hear what was taking place, but a resident magistrate told me to sit at the back," a reporter said.

Quest for accurate information

The reporters said that in order to get accurate information, they at times had to ask the clerk of the courts or the police to tell them what the accused was charged with and when the offence was allegedly committed.

"The Clerks of the Courts are now tight-lipped, saying that they have been instructed not to give any information to the media," a reporter said.

"We are not allowed to show anyone the court files, neither can we give any information about them," a Clerk of the Courts said yesterday.

A reporter said that when a Clerk of the Courts was asked whether the Access to Information Act applied to that court, the clerk refused to respond.

A policeman who overheard the conversation said: "When cases are mentioned, the reporters should be allowed to get the names of the accused and the allegations in the cases, as a matter of public interest."