Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Government has been urged to release court transcripts from historic grooming gang trials after a judge rejected a request in Bradford.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said the refusal “raised serious questions” for the justice system.
In a letter to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Jenrick said that a “fragmented and unpredictable” approach to releasing transcripts could have an effect on open justice.
Last week, GB News revealed that a judge had rejected a request to release transcripts from a key grooming gang trial, arguing that it would be “contrary to the public interest.”
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick
PA
Mr Justice Rose rejected the request from campaign group Open Justice UK for the full transcript from a 2016 trial at Bradford Crown Court for twelve men who sexually exploited a teenage girl in Keighley.
Justice Rose objected to the release “in the context of the public debate now taking place in general concerning cases such as this which are said to be part of a currency of offending in this city and elsewhere".
Writing to Mahmood, Jenrick said: “These were public trials, heard in open court, where every word could be followed from the public gallery.”
He added: “The transcripts simply record what was said in proceedings that were already subject to public scrutiny.”
Twelve men who sexually exploited a girl from the age of 13
West Yorkshire PoliceThe Tory frontbencher also said: “We have been here before.
"Too many of these cases were mishandled at the time because public authorities placed their own reputational risk above the needs of victims.”
Adam Wren, who runs Open Justice UK, separately told the People’s Channel that crucial information had been “censored,” adding that the release of court proceedings had a clear public interest element.
He also shared details of a rejection from the Old Bailey, which Jenrick raised in his letter to the Justice Secretary, comparing it to approvals from other courthouses for similar cases.
Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood
PA“Whether the public can access information about serious criminal trials should not depend on which courthouse received the request," Jenrick said.
"There is no justification for allowing a postcode lottery to govern access to justice.”
A spokesperson for the judiciary said last week: “Transcripts of court hearings can be provided following approval by a judge.
"Requests are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and are subject to judicial discretion.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman told GB News: "We will continue to drive forward reforms to protect more children from abhorrent abuse and support more adult survivors of these traumatic crimes.
“The release of court transcripts to interested parties is a matter for the relevant independent judge to consider.”
