Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood made the comments to a House of Lords committee the day after an ECHO exclusive
Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood suggested her counterpart Robert Jenrick “risked the possibility of a murderer walking free” following an “unacceptable” X post. Shadow justice secretary and shadow lord chancellor Mr Jenrick was criticised in court during the Lenny Scott murder trial for posting on social media about the active criminal case.
The ECHO exclusively revealed how Mr Jenrick’s post was brought before the presiding high court judge by both the prosecution and defence due to fears over a possible contempt of court. Mr Justice Goose called the post “ill thought through” while senior defence counsel Caroline Goodwin KC branded the comments “appalling, outrageous and egregious”.
Speaking at a House of Lords constitution committee about the rule of law on Wednesday, Labour front-bencher Ms Mahmood said no parliamentarian should be “risking a contempt and the possibility of a murderer walking free”.
She added: “There are just some very important rules that all politicians with their huge platforms should bear in mind. It will be an absolute travesty of justice if somebody walks free from a murder charge because of social media activities and the desire to have a viral tweet. That is, and always will be, unacceptable.”
Ms Mahmood did not directly reference Mr Jenrick by name, but her comments came the day after the ECHO’s report. The BBC and the Guardian have both since covered the ECHO’s exclusive report.
The ECHO had repeated attempts to reach Mr Jenrick for a comment, but received no response. The senior Tory, who has been a particularly vocal critic of the Labour government’s justice system.
Former prison officer Mr Scott, 33, was murdered by Elias Morgan in a revenge attack” on February 8, 2024. He was sentenced to a minimum of 45 years for the murder.
Mr Jenrick’s X post said: “Lenny exposed corruption and took on the gangster controlling a prison wing. He received threats to his life, but he was left unsupported. Four years later he was shot dead. That will enrage any decent person. We need radical change, now.”
Mr Jenrick’s comments were raised in court by prosecutor Alex Leach KC on July 2. Mr Leach told Mr Justice Goose, without the presence of the jury, that “the post is problematic because it delivers as apparent fact what the prosecution relies upon”.
The law of contempt protects the judicial process. Contempt of court happens when someone risks unfairly influencing a court case. In extreme cases, contempt of court which threatens the jury’s ability to come to an independent verdict, can result in a suspension of proceedings or even a re-trial.
Ms Goodwin told the court that Mr Jenrick, a qualified solicitor, “should know better” than to share a “hard-lined opinion” about ongoing proceedings. She said: “We ask he reflects carefully as a shadow lord chancellor should. We ask he thinks and he refrains from commenting further.
“This trial is one of a delicate nature. It is sensitive because someone died but the consequences are significant…It’s been a devastating blow in the mind of the defendant.” There was no indication that the murder trial jury was aware of Mr Jenrick’s post during the trial.
Justice Goose told the courtroom that there was a danger of commenting as Mr Jenrick had and “this was ill thought through given it’s an ongoing trial”. However, he said steps by the prosecution to ensure the post was removed were adequate.
Praising the ECHO’s coverage of the trial as “fair and accurate”, Justice Goose said: “I ask anyone who reports on this trial on social media to exercise caution and care before they post what they want to say. I hope the author of this message hears what I say and the reason for it.”
