The High Court has ruled that newspapers cannot report the name of a sportsman who was convicted for sexual assault and two counts of attempted defilement of a child, as the media delayed too long in applying for reporting restrictions to be lifted. The sportsman was 16 when he committed the offences against a 14 -year-old girl. He was over 18 when he pleaded guilty, and was sentenced in 2014. The media is usually allowed to report the identity of guilty parties who are adults when they are convicted. The man originally insisted that the girl consented to the events that took place in February and March 2010 but he pleaded guilty when the girl’s age was confirmed and consent was not a defence available…

Source: The Times April 21, 2018 23:08 UTC