RT╔ has challenged a ruling by a judge in Sligo District Court that the media should not name a man facing charges of indecent assault.
Judge Oliver McGuinness had asked for an RT╔ representative to appear before him yesterday to explain why the man had been named in a report broadcast last month.
A barrister for RT╔, Ms Adrienne Egan, said notes taken by reporters were present in court when the man first appeared on September 6th stated that Judge McGuinness had issued an order prohibiting publication of anything that would identify any of the injured parties.
Judge McGuinness responded that while he might not have been specific, his understanding was that his order had also prohibited publication of the identity of the accused.
A solicitor acting for the accused said he believed the court had discretion in the matter and that the anonymity of his client, who had yet to go for trial, should be protected.
Judge McGuinness said that if RT╔ had wished to challenge his initial ruling, it should have gone to the High Court rather than to go ahead and publish the name.
He said he would again prohibit the publication of anything that would identify the accused, and said there was "a course of action" available to RT╔ if it wished to challenge this.
