Judge Sarah Munro QC made legal history on Thursday when she sentenced 25-year-old Ben Oliver to life imprisonment with a minimum sentence of 10 years and eight months. The man, from Bexleyheath in south London, was acquitted of murder after admitting to the manslaughter of 74-year-old David Oliver, in Mottingham, south London, on January 19 last year.
During his trial, he was told that he had repeatedly stabbed and slashed the bedridden victim in the face and neck as he lay “helpless” in his bedroom.
The footage was broadcast on news channels and made available online via Sky News, the BBC, ITN and the PA news agency.
The move to allow cameras in the Crown Court follows a law change in 2020, but implementation has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Oliver’s sentencing took place in Court Two, one of Old Bailey’s oldest courtrooms.
Prosecutor Louis Mably QC had told jurors it was carried out with intent to kill because Oliver was “very angry” when he learned of allegations against his grandfather of historically sexually abusing girls.
The suspect had used a kitchen knife in the brutal attack and then confessed what he had done to his grandmother, the court had heard.
Jurors were told that the defendant grew up in “turbid and difficult times”, and in 2016 he was convicted of sex crimes against a young girl when he was 15 years old.
He was released from juvenile detention in September 2019.
In the months before the murder, he became aware of allegations of sexual abuse against his grandfather, who also allegedly mistreated his wife and had affairs.
The suspect was also depressed and had suicidal thoughts.
He is said to have an autistic spectrum disorder that, when combined with other emotional and mental factors, reduced his responsibility for the murder.
The move to broadcast Oliver’s sentencing was announced by the Justice Department on Wednesday and was hailed by broadcasters as a “monumental moment for open justice” and a “win for the viewer”.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Minister Dominic Raab said: “Opening up the courtroom to cameras to film the sentencing of some of the country’s most serious offenders will improve transparency and build confidence in the justice system.
“The public will now be able to see how justice is delivered, helping them better understand the complex decisions judges make.”
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Burnett of Maldon, said the move was “very positive” in promoting open justice.
He said: “I think it’s an exciting development because it will help the public understand how and why criminals get the sentences they get in these very high-profile cases.”
“The conviction of serious criminal cases is something in which there is a legitimate public interest.
“And it always seemed to me that this is a part of the criminal process that can be recorded and broadcast in many cases, but not all, without jeopardizing the administration of justice or the interests of justice.”
The Central Criminal Court in London routinely handles some of the most complex cases, including murders and terrorism trials.
The amendment will allow High Court and Senior Circuit judges who sit in the Crown Courts to be filmed delivering their sentencing comments.
Only the judge will be in front of the camera to protect the privacy of victims, witnesses and jurors.