‘Criminal lawyers are always aware of our clients’ concerns about adverse publicity during a criminal investigation, prior to charge. Investigations can last many months, even years, only to result in no charges being brought. Maintaining anonymity during that period is often a priority, second only to defending the allegations. In Bloomberg v ZXC [2022] UKSC 5, the Supreme Court confirmed that as a “legitimate starting point” a person under criminal investigation has, prior to charge, a reasonable expectation of privacy in respect of the investigation. However in any given case it is not certain as a matter of law that the ‘starting point’ is the ‘end point’.’
2 Hare Court, 11th June 2025
Source: www.2harecourt.com
