Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2021)

20.   Restriction on publication of reports of judicial proceedings

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   (1)   The Court may at all times in any proceedings under this Act, whether heard and tried in Chambers, in camera or in open court, make an order forbidding the publication of any report or account of the evidence or other proceedings therein, either as to the whole or any portion thereof; and the breach of any such order, or any colourable or attempted evasion thereof, may be dealt with as contempt of court.

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   (2)   A person shall not print or publish or cause or procure to be printed or published any particulars in relation to any proceedings under this Act, except the following particulars, namely—

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      (a)     the name, addresses, and occupations of the parties and witnesses and any persons intervening, and the names of the Judge and of the counsel and solicitors engaged;

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      (b)     the ground of the petition or application, and a concise statement of the charges, defences and countercharges in support of which evidence has been given;

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      (c)     submissions on any point of law arising in the course of the proceedings, and the decision of the Court on the submissions;

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      (d)     the summing-up of the Judge, the decision of the Court and any observations made by the Court in giving it,

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   so however that the Court, may, if it thinks fit, authorise the publication of any other particulars, subject to such conditions relating to any matter to be published as it thinks fit.

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   (3)   A person who acts in contravention of subsection (2), and every printer, publisher and editor of any document in which any particulars are printed or published in contravention of subsection (2), commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction—

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      (a)     in the case of an individual to a fine of $500 or to imprisonment of a term of 3 months, or to both;

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      (b)     in the case of a body corporate, to a fine of $2,500.

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   (4)   A prosecution for an offence against subsection (3) shall not be commenced except with the leave of the Attorney General.

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   (5)   This section does not apply to the printing of any pleading, transcript of evidence or other document for use in connection with any judicial proceedings or the communication thereof to persons concerned in the proceedings, or to the printing or publishing of any notice or report in pursuance of the directions of the Court; or to the printing or publishing of any matter in any separate volume or part of any bona fide series of law reports which does not form part of any other publication and consists solely of reports of proceedings in courts of law or in any publication of a technical character bona fide intended for circulation among members of the legal or medical professions, psychologists, advisers in the sphere of marriage counselling, or other social welfare workers.

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   (6)   This section shall not be construed to limit the provisions of any other enactment relating to the prohibition or regulation of the publication of reports or particulars relating to judicial proceedings.