British Crown courts may allow TV cameras for first time

TV cameras could be allowed into crown courts in England and Wales for the first time, as part of a pilot scheme proposed by the justice ministry, the media reported on Sunday.

According to the scheme, sentencing remarks made by senior judges at eight courts, including London's Old Bailey, would be filmed but not broadcast, BBC reported.

Justice Minister Shailesh Vara said he hoped the move would lead to "more openness and transparency as to what happens in our courts".

However, filming defendants, witnesses and victims would remain banned.

Filming has been possible in the Court of Appeal since 2013.

Proceedings in the Supreme Court -- the final court of appeal for civil cases in Britain and for criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland -- have been filmed since it was established in 2009.