Skipworth’s Case, Onslow v Skipworth; Regina v Castro: 1873

The Attorney-General proceeded against the respondent for contempt, at the request of the Court, and ‘as the representative of the profession’. A contempt may be severe where an insult is offered in court to the judge who presides, or where a deliberate attempt is made to interfere with the due and ordinary methods of carrying out the law. A case pending in a court ‘ought to be tried in the ordinary course of justice’

Judges:

Blackburn J

Citations:

(1873) LR 9 QB 230, 28 LT 227

Jurisdiction:

England and Wales

Cited by:

CitedScott v Scott HL 5-May-1913
Presumption in Favour of Open Proceedings
There had been an unauthorised dissemination by the petitioner to third parties of the official shorthand writer’s notes of a nullity suit which had been heard in camera. An application was made for a committal for contempt.
Held: The House . .
CitedHM Attorney General v Yaxley-Lennon QBD 9-Jul-2019
Application by Her Majesty’s Attorney General for an order committing the respondent to prison for contempt of court. . .
CitedMorris v Crown Office CA 1970
The applicants had been engaged in a calculated and coordinated campaign of disruption of the court.
Held: ‘The archaic description of these proceedings as ‘contempt of court’ is in my view unfortunate and misleading. It suggests that they are . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

Contempt of Court

Updated: 21 July 2022; Ref: scu.640543