Contempt of Court OAP freed

An 85-year-old Royal Navy veteran who was jailed after filming court proceeding using a ballpoint pen video recorder has been freed by the Court of Appeal. Norman Scarth, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, was jailed at Bradford Crown Court for six months less one day in July after being charged with contempt of court. He was found to have used an audio camera ballpoint pen to record proceedings at the crown court. Three judges have now quashed the sentence and substituted with one of 12 weeks – resulting in his immediate release from Armley prison in Leeds. The judges had heard evidence about the 85-year-old’s mental health. They ruled that it was not in the public interest to keep Mr Scarth in prison. However, they added that did not in any way reflect upon the correctness of the decision made by the judge at the time. We have one of the leading teams of criminal defence specialists in West London and the South East. If you are facing a serious criminal charge, you can contact a member of the IBB’s Criminal Defence team: call us on 08456 381381 or email criminaldefence@ibblaw.co.uk.