Secret Imprisonment

EDM number 647 in 2013-14, proposed by John Hemming on 29/10/2013.
Categorised under the topic of Administration of justice.

That this House notes that at a hearing on 18 September 2013 where the claimant had applied to have the female defendant imprisoned for contempt of court it was decided that the court should sit in secret; further notes that an anonymised judgment was produced giving the reasons for this, but that has not as yet been published on Bailii, in contravention of the practice directions in respect of committals for contempt of court; further notes that at a hearing of the Royal Courts of Justice there was an initial attempt to treat the hearing as being in chambers; further notes that a woman was committed at the hearing to prison for contempt of court; further notes that no listing of the case occurred in contravention of the practice directions; further notes that the woman concerned has still not been named notwithstanding a request to the Head of News of the Judicial Office; further notes that there is no reference to this case on Bailii in contravention of the practice directions; is saddened by the fact that UK citizens are still being imprisoned effectively in secret; and calls for the judiciary to follow the proper procedures and the Government to report on when citizens are imprisoned for contempt of court to enable an audit of imprisonments to occur in order to ensure that none are secret.

This motion has been signed by a total of 8 MPs.