WILL JONES
The Ministry of Justice is ordering the deletion of a large archive of court records, raising concerns that the Government is fleeing from transparency over failings in the justice system amid a string of murders and sex attacks by asylum seekers. The Times has the story.
Courtsdesk, a data analysis company that supports media and campaigners in monitoring court records, has been ordered by the Government to delete its archive, which provides a crucial tool for journalists covering the justice system.
The project was approved by the Lord Chancellor in 2021 to explore how a “national digital news feed of listings and registers can improve coverage of the courts by the news media” by opening up magistrate court records.
According to Courtsdesk, the platform has since been used by more than 1,500 journalists from 39 media organisations and the data provided have highlighted serious failures in the courts system. …
In November, HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) issued the company a cessation notice, citing what it called “unauthorised sharing” of court data, on the basis of a test feature, claiming this was a “data protection issue”.
When the company wrote to the department asking for the matter to be referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which regulates data protection, it says no referral was made.
Chris Philp, the former justice minister who approved the pilot and now Shadow Home Secretary, wrote to Sarah Sackman, the Courts Minister, demanding the decision be reversed.
Last week the government issued a final refusal, meaning the archive must now be deleted within days. …
Enda Leahy, the Courtsdesk chief executive and a former legal affairs correspondent at the Sunday Times, said: “We built the only system that could tell journalists what was actually happening in the criminal courts.
“HMCTS’s own data proves they can’t do it — their records were accurate 4.2% of the time, 1.6 million cases were heard without any advance notice to the press.”
Worth reading in full.
Reacting to the news, Daily Sceptic Associate Editor Laurie Wastell said:
We know that the British state always wants to bury the truth about the grim realities of multicultural Britain. Now, in the midst of an appalling series of murders and sex attacks by asylum seekers, the Ministry of Justice is ordering a major court-reporting platform relied on by journalists to delete much of its data. This stinks of yet another coverup.
Stop Press: US Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers has tweeted in opposition to the move: “Transparency is essential to rule of law. Democracies should not order court records purged. This is basic, and obvious.”
Transparency is essential to rule of law. Democracies should not order court records purged. This is basic, and obvious. https://t.co/yTQFNamZZa
— Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers (@UnderSecPD) February 9, 2026
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Liberty Beacon Project.
Leave a Reply