Retired judge presides over trials on TV

Press, 25 July 1984, Page 19

Retired judge presides over trials on TV

By

GILLIAN WAINWRIGHT

in London Trial by television has become a reality on television in Britain, where taking photographs in court is illegal. The first court case to be seen on TV was screened on Channel Four. A former Old Bailey Judge, Alan King-Hamilton, presided over the case in the Leeds studio of Yorkshire TV. It concerned a dispute between a dissatisfied holidaymaker and a tour operator. Ten cases have been re-

corded so far and another 2000 potential litigants are queueing to have their cases settled before the cameras. The 79-year-old retired judge denied that the shows were only entertainment “These programmes were made by the factual department of Yorkshire TV,” he said. “Everything that took place in the studio would nave happened in exactly the same way if the cameras had not been there. If I thought for one moment that justice was being debased in any way, I would never have agreed to take

part in the series.” It took the television company 18 months to persuade the judge to take part in “Case on Camera,” which is based on an American series. He added, “They wanted me originally to appear in my robe and wig in a studio got up like a courtroom. But that would have been play acting. Then they came up with the idea of an arbitration court So I am sitting, not as a judge, but as an arbitrator.” Yorkshire Television claims that judgments in

“Case on Camera” are legally binding because the court has been recognised by the Lord Chancellor, Britain’s highest legal authority. Claims are limited to £5OO (about $1300) and both parties have to agree in advance to accept the judge’s findings. The company’s legal adviser, Robin Smith, said the cameras were merely observing what would have happened anyway, except that the cases were sometimes cut down from five hours to a half-hour TV version.