At times when you visit our website, we welcome and encourage your comments on our stories. Similarly, on our
Facebook page, we invite you to share your thoughts. However, there are certain stories on which we may turn off the commenting option, which means that nobody will be able to leave comments. You may have wondered why commenting is not allowed on some of our stories on both our website and Facebook page. In most cases, it's because the story is related to an active and ongoing legal case, and any comments made on
Social Media platforms could potentially bias the outcome of the trial. If you notice that a post has limited your ability to comment, this will be the case for all users. We sometimes turn off comments a few hours after a post has been published since we are unable to monitor them continuously. Subscribe here for the latest news where you live The
police have previously cautioned the public against speculating and commenting on active court cases. According to their statement, "While we understand the public's interest in these updates, we remind everyone that there are live and active cases, and we ask members of the public not to speculate on social media." Posting any comments on social media about ongoing hearings could result in contempt of court, which may hinder someone from getting a fair trial and negatively affect the outcome. Some examples of things you should not say publicly or post on social media include expressing your opinion on someone's guilt or innocence, disclosing someone's previous convictions, revealing the identity of someone the judge has ordered to remain anonymous, or revealing the names of victims, witnesses, and offenders under 18 or sex crime victims. Additionally, sharing any evidence or facts about a case that the judge has said cannot be made public is also a violation of contempt of court laws. Contempt of court can take many forms, such as ignoring a court order, taking photos or shouting in court, refusing to answer the court's questions if you're called as a witness, or publicly commenting on a court case, such as on social media or online news articles. For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.