The niceties of the relevant law are a secondary consideration. The primary objective should be to avoid any risk of potential jurors being influenced, consciously or subconsciously, by what is posted in our forums.
That applies whether what they read is accurate or, as is sometimes the case, utter nonsense - whether posted by experienced professional pilots or members of the Armchair Accident Investigation Bureau.
deefer dog
It is human nature to do all sorts of things, some good and some bad. If you cannot see for yourself any reason not to add to the risk of unfairness then there is nothing I could say to persuade you.
The fact that we are legally entitled to do something does not mean that it is necessarily a responsible thing to do.
clareprop
This may come as a surprise to you but, after 41 years working in the criminal legal system, I was well aware of the direction to juries to ignore media reports when I posted my concerns.
I hope that the direction is effective and believe that juries usually take their duties seriously but given (a) that jury discussions take place in private, are not recorded and remain confidential and (b) the weaknesses inherent in human nature, there is no way of knowing if they all abide by the direction.
dsc810
The trouble with Flying Lawyer's stance on discussion is that virtually EVERY "accident" whether that be in the air or in a car could possibly lead to a prosecution for some violation of law.
I disagree but, even if what you say was correct, in this instance there is not some vague theoretical risk. We know that there is an ongoing police investigation which might lead to a prosecution.
So that means following the above logic
Your idea of "logic", not mine.
the AAIB let the cat out of the bag good and proper as to the direction they were looking in their Special Bulletin S3/2015 of the 4th Sept 2015.
There is a theoretical risk but it is highly unlikely that many, if any, potential jurors read AAIB reports.
AAIB findings are not used nor referred to in criminal trials.
Given that PPRuNe is widely known as, and often referred to in the media as, a 'professional pilots forum' I believe we have a corresponding responsibility to behave responsibly. More weight is likely to be attached to what is posted here than in some enthusiasts'/spotters' forum.