Contempt of Court Act 1981

The Contempt of Court Act 1981 (c. 49) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.^[1] It codifies some aspects of the common law offence of contempt of court.^[2]

Contempt of Court Act 1981

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to amend the law relating to contempt of court and related matters.
Citation	1981 c. 49
Territorial extent	United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent	27 July 1981
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Section 8 of the Act provides that it is an offence for a person to ask for or make public any opinions or arguments put forward by a jury member in the course of making a decision.^[3] In Northern Ireland, the consent of the Attorney General is required to prosecute this offence. This section now extends only to Scotland and Northern Ireland; it was replaced in England and Wales by section 20D of the Juries Act 1974,^[4] as amended by the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.^[5]