The High Court has reserved judgment on a challenge by four media groups to a district judge's order restraining publication of the name of a man charged with having child pornography images.
Independent Newspapers, Examiner Publications, RTÉ and The Irish Times want to overturn the order of July 2003 made by District Judge David Anderson. They contend the order is inconsistent with the constitutional requirement that justice be administered in public.
After hearing concluding legal submissions yesterday, Mr Justice Frank Clarke said he would reserve judgement and hoped to give it on February 15th. The case arose after Judge Anderson, at the District Court in Portlaoise, ruled that a man accused of having child pornography could not be named nor could any information tending to identify him be published by the media.
The man was charged in July 2003 with having child pornography images contrary to the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998. He was remanded on continuing bail. In October 2003, Judge Anderson said that his ruling restraining publication of the man's identity was final.