Public servant on 'child sex' charges - but we're barred from telling you anything about him
By Martin DelgadoLast updated at 12:22 PM on 27th March 2011
A public servant has appeared in court on charges believed to be connected to child-sex offences under a draconian restriction which means nothing can be said about him.
The Mail on Sunday is aware of his job but cannot disclose any information about the man, who can be referred to only as ‘X’.
Bizarrely, a second defendant in the case has not been granted anonymity.
The concealment of the identity of the public servant is believed to be an unprecedented move in a criminal case of this kind.
Restrictions have been used in other cases like those of child-killers Jon Venables and Robert Thompson - the boys were convicted of murdering toddler James Bulger
Other restrictions have been used to conceal the identity of child-killer Mary Bell, and Jon Venables and Robert Thompson – the boys convicted of murdering toddler James Bulger.
In these cases, however, there were full and open trials and anonymity was imposed only after court proceedings had concluded.
This time, the restriction has been imposed before any trial, and, unusually, for only one of the defendants.
However, there is deep concern in legal circles about
the increasing imposition of restrictions on reporting and the creeping spread of secret justice.
This case is bound to cause particular controversy because of the man’s job and the seriousness of the charges against him.
There has been increasing concern during the past year about the super-injunctions that have been used in a number of high-profile privacy cases, often brought by highly paid footballers and other celebrities in an attempt to save themselves from embarrassment after extra-marital affairs.
Super-injunctions are so far-reaching that the media are prohibited from even revealing their existence.
The man, who is understood to be in his mid-30s, is in custody after being arrested in the past few months.
He and his co-accused are understood to be facing a total of up to 70 charges. ‘X’ appeared before magistrates in December and is due to make another pre-trial appearance at a Crown Court later this week.
We can only refer to him as ‘X’ for legal reasons.
The case is being handled by the Crown Prosecution Service but a CPS lawyer refused to talk to a Mail on Sunday reporter yesterday.
The Ministry of Justice said it held no information about the case.
The police force leading the inquiry initially said it would provide this newspaper
with information about the charges facing the two men, but then failed to return our calls.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370388/Public-servant-child-sex-charges--barred-telling-him.html#ixzz1HnvgVO4b
