Page updated on: Friday April 23, 2010
If you have been charged with a criminal offence and are awaiting trial or sentencing, you may apply to the court for an order suppressing publication of your name. An order for permanent suppression is extremely difficult to get. The court will usually only grant a permanent order if publishing your name would lead to the identification of a victim or if exceptional circumstances outweigh the public interest in having an open court.
Sometimes, the court will grant a temporary order preventing publication of your name for a limited period of time (e.g. 48 hours). Usually this will be done to give defendants the opportunity to inform family, friends or their employers of their situation.
If you are convicted of an alcohol or drug-related driving offence, your name can be published in the newspaper, along with the charge and details of the sentence imposed. Section 66 of the Land Transport Act prohibits suppression of your name for these charges unless there are exceptional circumstances.