TV cameras 'may enter courtrooms'

Cameras have been banned from courts in England and Wales since 1925

Senior judges are considering a pilot scheme to allow television cameras into courtrooms in England and Wales.

A working party involving major news broadcasters, including the BBC, plan to film an appeal hearing to show how the images would be used in practice.

The judiciary and the Department for Constitutional Affairs will then decide whether the process could be extended.

The trial, expected to take place next year, comes amid fears that the justice system is seen as too remote.

Opinions divided

A spokesman for the Department for Constitutional Affairs told BBC News Online that the plan was part of a long-term project.

"The scheme is being actively considered with the help of television broadcasters, but no decisions have yet been made."

Previous attempts to introduce cameras to courtrooms have failed and legal opinions remain sharply divided on the issue.

Opponents argue it would influence the way witnesses and lawyers behave in court.

But recent proceedings, such as the Soham trial and the Hutton inquiry, have made the case for televising proceedings more compelling.

Broadcasters have reconstructed courtroom scenes line-by-line with actors and digital images.

Cameras have been allowed in Scottish courts - under strict conditions - for the last eight years.

The scheme, introduced in 1992, permits court cases to be televised if all sides involved give their consent.

But legislation passed in 1925 banned cameras from courts in England and Wales.