What is the difference between a closed and open court?

Cases are usually heard in an open court.

• An open court is when anyone is able to come into the courtroom to watch the case from the public sitting area, which is usually at the back of the courtroom.

Sometimes the judge or magistrate may order a closed court.

• In a closed court only certain people are allowed to come into the courtroom to watch or take part in a case. There may also be restrictions on what the prosecutor is able to tell you about what happened in court on that day.
• An example of when a court may be closed by the magistrate or judge, is when they are handing down the sentence on a defendant who has provided evidence against others at a trial. Because of their help they may receive a reduced sentence, and the court will be closed while the sentence is discussed.

Even when a case or some parts of it are held in a closed court we will always tell you:

• where you need to give your evidence
• how that process works
• whether the defendant was found guilty or not.