Duncan Lamont - a media partner at City solicitors Charles Russell
"The recent arrests of alleged terror suspects has prompted a slew of press reports that could be construed as prejudicial to any subsequent trials . The words "alleged terror plot" have cropped up all over the media since August 10 when 23 British Muslims were held in police raids. But readers and viewers of these reports might be forgiven for forgetting the "alleged" and concentrating on more unambiguous headlines such as "plot to blow up nine jets foiled" - not to mention statements by the home secretary and deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police such as "we have stopped an attempt to commit mass murder on an unimaginable scale".
Much information that could be regarded as potentially highly prejudicial poured out almost immediately, mostly from unattributable sources but also from the government and then from officials in the US and Pakistan." [Civil &HR; Security]
