Dave and Raggytash,

Don't get me wrong, I'm fully with you in trying to protect the wrongly accused. If I were accused, of say rape, I'd certainly want to keep my anonymity.

Even after being acquitted there would always the 'no smoke without fire' gossips, and I'd probably never completely be trusted by some.

However, I can't see how it could ever really work.

"keep the courtrooms free of the media"

"simply curtail the media's "right" to publish accounts until AFTER the trial has been concluded

are easy things to say, but practically?

Anyway, in 2014, who are the media?

Unrelated, but worth mentioning, I think:

Do you recall Spycatcher back in 1987? The British government tried to ban it with 'gag orders' and 'contempt of court' charges. They failed.

And this was before the web. It's laughable to look back on, as now, if I was interested, I'd just look on an overseas site.

Now, with Facebook, Twitter, Smartphones etc. how on earth do you expect to stop someone taking a picture of Harris arriving at court during his trial and propagating it around the world?