The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Lessons to be learned from the Chris Jefferies case

The reporting of Joanna Yeates’s murder rode roughshod over legal convention.

By Peter Wilby Published 06 January 2011 12:57

"Weird, posh, lewd, creepy" – this was how a Sun headline described Chris Jefferies, the landlord of Joanna Yeates, the Bristol landscape architect, after his arrest on suspicion of her murder. The Sun and other papers published compendious details of his character and personal habits. They included no evidence that Jefferies, who was later released on police bail, had committed murder but showed, to the papers' satisfaction, that he was just the sort wot would have dun it, which, in their view, should be quite sufficient to secure conviction.

This kind of coverage is now routine in high-profile criminal cases. The Contempt of Court Act 1981 is clear: reporting is restricted after an arrest lest "the course of justice" be "seriously impeded or prejudiced". The convention, widely followed until quite recently, was that newspapers published the barest factual details: name, age, occupation, marital status and so on. The idea was that juries should base verdicts solely on evidence presented in court. Jefferies used to teach English at a public school, so "posh" might pass muster, but "lewd" and "creepy" surely carry at least a risk of prejudice if he were ever tried.

Over recent years, the police, the government, the courts and the Press Complaints Commission have allowed and even colluded in what amounts to a complete rewriting of legal convention. Occasionally, an attorney general warns the newspapers to "reflect carefully", as Dominic Grieve did the other day, but most journalists, particularly on the red-top papers, regard reflection as akin to masturbation.

The 1981 act should be enforced, as, curiously, it is in Scotland, where errant editors and journalists are frequently hauled before judges and even local editions of English papers are more circumspect in what they publish. We are told that nothing can stop prejudicial details circulating on the internet. That may be true, but the Attorney General needs to consider only the likelihood that potential jurors will read and be influenced by them. Newspapers, whether in print or online, still carry an authority and command an audience that no single blog, tweet or Facebook entry can possibly match.

This is an extract from Peter Wilby's column in this week's New Statesman, available on newsstands from today.

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Tags: Joanna Yeates Chris Jefferies

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24 comments

Thu, 2011-01-06 14:57 — ang (not verified)

The sun is the paper (when Kelvin Mckensie was editor), who accused scousers of picking the pockets of the dead people at Hillsborough.
They always stoop disgustingly low to sell papers, no matter who gets hurt.
Colin Staggs life was ruined and Chris Jeffries will suffer the same fate.
@Ehctee Tee. I think your words are unecessarily hurtful.

Thu, 2011-01-06 15:17 — Bathb0y

Hi.
We should think before we condemn.

Thu, 2011-01-06 16:18 — Hans Castorp (not verified)

Here here.

Fri, 2011-01-07 23:40 — sean (not verified)

Fcked up country we all lived in now. retired balding guy who managed to saved up and buy a house, his biggest possession is then treated like this? sick i'm off to the club to get more hammered until my lungs and liver go.....

Fri, 2011-01-07 23:43 — Freeman2

paddy: ''Posh' school, dear me, how terrible. This word is used by people with a chip on their shoulder in my exerience and no, I didn't go to a 'posh' school.'

Didn't go to a posh school. That makes it even worse - at least the bourgeoisie have got something to boast about; you're just one of their bumlickers.

Fri, 2011-01-07 23:49 — Yo Chavs! (not verified)

Capitalism! hey hey from what I read Chris Jeff can now sue some newspaper publisher for mighty defamation claims! that better than being on the dole. On the side Joanna Yates make sure you don't rest until your killer is caught!

Sat, 2011-01-08 00:00 — Des Demona (not verified)

Is it just me or do I remember a time when the 'accused' was described in general terms rather than a full bio and the creepiest photo you could find?
NS take note. Like you did with Penny's 'Is this what a rapist looks like' article and original photo!

Thu, 2011-01-06 16:58 — JudgeNJury (not verified)

And he used to show all the kids at that posh school dvds on torture...I mean wots all that about? I still reckon he's involved

Tue, 2011-01-11 16:48 — little me (not verified)

I have not really read much of the reports about CJ, I have been more interested in the facts about the case without any names to them.

I will say however, that with the only report I watched on sky news of this man himself I got a bad impression and feeling - this I am entitled to, and funnily enough when I get a feeling its usually spot on - womans intuition and all that. I men who lies to his neighbours then goes on TV to say he didnt say that - whats that all about - if anything this man only has himself to blame for the circus that is following him.

Tue, 2011-03-08 10:53 — ljmt (not verified)

On Women's intuition...Some of the most intuitive people I have known have been men. All depends on what you are open to. I am a woman myself; sometimes my intuition works, sometimes not. Depends on all sorts, not least relationship with God. Sorry, but yours has been staggeringly wrong. I would desist from judging people on carefully chosen pictures of them looking shellshocked and fearful from lots of press cameras they are unhabituated to. We all have seen photos of ourselves we wouldn't want in the press if we had been in the wrong place at the wrong time!!

Thu, 2011-01-06 17:42 — Andy (not verified)

@JudgeNJury

Involved or not you're sort of missing the point (unless of course you haven't, in which case ignore me).

Thu, 2011-01-20 23:36 — ugh (not verified)

djps I think you need mental analysis if you think lynching innocent people is right.

Fri, 2011-01-07 00:23 — paddy (not verified)

'Posh' school, dear me, how terrible. This word is used by people with a chip on their shoulder in my exerience and no, I didn't go to a 'posh' school.
If he could teach for all those years without a blemish on his character only to be held up for examination like this by reptilian press there's just no justice in the world. If he is innocent how on earth can he get his life back? How can he resume where he left off? He may need to sell up and who would buy those flats now?

Fri, 2011-01-07 07:41 — Michael (not verified)

My favourite piece was one in the Mirror which described Jefferies as a brooding loner who kept to himself, then went on to say he was influential in setting up the neighbourhood watch, ran a local society, kept active with a Bible group and even quoted a friend who he had coffee with a few days before the murder.

Thu, 2011-01-20 12:54 — djps (not verified)

I am sick of posh journalists lecturing us about being responsible. Like 'little me' above it is much better to go with your gut feelings and the red tops are better at articulating what we really feel and think. The law is simply out of kilter with the democratic wishes of the people on this one. The fact is that is he is odd and articulating feelings of unease and even revulsion for oddness is important in maintaining community solidarity.

Personally I am happy to see Chris Jeffries lynched even if he is innocent. Why shouldn't we be prepared to inflict 'collateral' damage as it were in seeing many innocent people convicted and punished for crimes they did not commit in our war against crime? Having a ruthless courage for one generation would do wonders for stopping violent crime and violence against women and children generally. We kill many innocent people in Afghanistan in our war against terror - what is wrong with us that we can't show the same steely resolve in our war against the terror that crime inflicts at home.

Mon, 2011-01-24 13:20 — squig (not verified)

These are, in a fairly literal sense, witch hunts and the new witches are usually slightly eccentric men.

Thu, 2011-01-06 13:16 — writeoff (not verified)

These are the same papers that wrecked the life of an entirely innocent Colin Stagg. The Courts need to be given more power to deal with this stuff as the Government clearly doesn't give a damn. It just shows how much power the press in England has over the government.

Thu, 2011-01-06 13:19 — Lou (not verified)

I think it's time the 81 act was enforced rigorously with papers and news channels alike.

The crime correspondents for certain media outlets see themselves these days as amateur detectives - dare I say some even see themselves as more of a detective than the actual detectives.

The other night we were treated to a report by a 'chief crime correspondent' that reported on the previous death in Bristol, giving out the surname of a friend who's party she had attended and then ending the report with a statement on how 'ironically' a member of that family now lives in the same block of flats as Jo Yeates, whilst showing images of the said relative leaving his home. They didn't make direct accusations but they imply suspicions, they cast aspersions and doubt through their tenuous links and it's time it all stopped.

Thu, 2011-01-06 13:25 — Andy (not verified)

Couldn't agree more with this. I remember the front pages on the day they got him in for questioning.

"He might be GAY!"
"Friends with a PAEDO in jail"
"Creepy, peeping Tom, odd ball etc"

Surely these acts are in place to stop exactly this sort of thing happening. It'll be interesting to see what happens when/if the case is solved.

Thu, 2011-01-06 14:20 — Daniele1

The way this man has been treated by the press is an absolute disgrace.
How can that possibly be tolerated?
I hope he sues all these gutter papers and get lots of money out of these scumbags.He deserves a substantial amount of compensation.