ABSTRACT
The Contempt of Court Act came into force on July 1981. The principal focus of the 1981 Act is on publications that may have an adverse effect on legal proceedings. The Law Commission's investigation, based on a consultation paper published in November 2012, took note of the fact that the Contempt of Court Act 1981 pre-dated the widespread use of the internet. In relation to social media, the Law Commission state that contempt can be committed via social networking sites as the definition of communication is widely drafted. The laws relating to contempt would therefore cover almost all of the new media. The case of Attorney General v Fraill and Stewart Attorney General v Joanne Fraill and Jamie Stewart EWCA Crim 1570. was singled out by the Law Commission in their report as a case demonstrating the risks social media present to the administration of justice.
