Crown Court trials will also be restricted to people directly involved in proceedings and ‘bona fide’ journalists
Suspected sex offenders in Northern Ireland will be offered anonymity until they are charged under new laws that also ban the public from attending serious sexual offences trials.
Suspects not charged will have anonymity for their lifetime and for 25 years after their death, which is a first in the UK.
Lifelong anonymity for victims of sexual offending will also be extended until 25 years after the victim has died.
Nothing can be published which leads to the identification of a victim of a sexual offence, or a suspect in a sexual offence case. Those who breach the anonymity provisions face up to six months’ imprisonment.