PART 1Defamation
Absolute privilege
9Contemporaneous reports of court proceedings
1
The contemporaneous publication of a statement which is a fair and accurate report of proceedings in public before a court to which this section applies is absolutely privileged.
2
Where the publication of a report of proceedings is required to be postponed—
a
by an order of the court, or
b
as a consequence of a statutory provision,
it is to be treated as being contemporaneously published if it is published as soon as practicable after that is permitted.
3
This section applies to—
a
any court in the United Kingdom,
b
any court established under the law of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom, and
c
any international court or tribunal established by the Security Council of the United Nations or by an international agreement.
4
For the purposes of subsection (3)(a) and (b), “court” includes any tribunal or body exercising the judicial power of the State.