The defendant had repeatedly failed to obey orders for the production of documents made in the course of civil litigation proceedings. He was ordered to be committed to prison ‘until further order’ He appealed.
Held: With regard to section 14, such an order was unlawful. A committal had to be for a definite period.
Judges:
Lawton LJ
Citations:
[1987] QB 555, [1986] 3 WLR 843
Statutes:
Contempt of Court Act 1981 14(1), Administration of Justice Act 1960 13(3)
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Cited by:
Cited – Lomas v Parle CA 18-Dec-2003
The respondent had been sentenced to two months imprisonment for breaches of orders under the Act. The wife appealed, seeking to increase the sentence. The maximum sentence was two years.
Held: The court had to consider such cases in the light . .
Cited – Haw and Another v City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court Admn 12-Dec-2007
The defendants appealed convictions for contempt of court, on the basis of having wilfully interrupted the court. The respondent said that no appeal lay.
Held: The statute was ambiguous, and ‘there can be no good reason why a person convicted . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Contempt of Court
Updated: 22 May 2022; Ref: scu.190743
