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Ministry of Justice orders deletion of the UK's largest court reporting database

legalcheek.com

February 16, 2026

2 min read

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68/100

Summary

The Ministry of Justice has ordered the deletion of Courtsdesk, the UK's largest court reporting database, which will be wiped within days. Over 1,500 reporters from 39 media outlets used the platform to track criminal court cases, raising concerns that significant cases may now go unreported.

Key Takeaways

The Ministry of Justice has ordered the deletion of Courtsdesk, the UK’s largest court reporting database, which was used by over 1,500 journalists.
Courtsdesk founder Enda Leahy stated that the HM Courts & Tribunals Service's own records were accurate only 4.2% of the time, leading to significant underreporting of criminal cases.
The deletion of Courtsdesk is expected to hinder the media's ability to track and report on important court cases, as two-thirds of courts regularly held hearings without notifying journalists.
HMCTS cited concerns over unauthorized sharing of court information with a third-party AI company as the reason for shutting down Courtsdesk.

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Community Sentiment

Negative

Positives

The discussion highlights the importance of public access to court records, emphasizing that transparency is crucial for accountability in the justice system.
There is a call for the government to fix data protection issues rather than shutting down the court reporting database, which indicates a desire for improvement rather than abandonment.

Concerns

Shutting down the only system that provides real-time information on criminal court activities due to a data breach raises concerns about transparency and access to justice.
The decision to delete the court reporting database may hinder journalists' ability to report accurately on legal proceedings, which is detrimental to public awareness.