Google has opted to reject a paedophile warning system which would flash up cautionary messages to people conducting obscene internet searches that they can be tracked when certain keywords are used.

It follows the decision by search rivals Bing and Yahoo! to automatically flash up warnings in such instances, measures which experts predict could cut by half the volume of traffic directed to such material.

Instead Google insists that its existing methods at tackling the problem are more effective, stoking the ire of child safety campaigners.

The Microsoft backed warning system would flash up a message when specific search terms were enetered, stating: ‘Warning! Child abuse material is illegal,’ alongside a link to counseling advice.

Commenting on the plan John Carr, a government adviser on online child safety, said: “The splash pages will not stop determined paedophiles but while they are very dangerous, they are a small number.

“These messages will warn off a larger number of men who are interested in these pages and stop them in their tracks. At the beginning an interest in these images starts off as a mild curiosity but they get drawn in and in some cases it can lead to rape and abuse.

“These messages show them they are not anonymous. Half would be put off by this.”

Squadron Venture Media has teamed with M&C Saatchi, Havas, Karmarama and Creature to offer ad campaigns to new companies in return for a stake in the company or a percentage of profits.

Set up by Squadron Venture Media, the Dragons’ Den style scheme will officially launch next month, when ads created by Creature appear for online financial services comparison company Media Ingenuity.

According to This Is Money, as well as equity, firms will also be expected to contribute some money up front; for example £100,000 if a campaign is worth £500,000.

This comes as it has been announced that Publicis and Omnicom have confirmed that they are to merge.

Insurance retailer Hastings Direct is to review its media and advertising accounts following the launch of its Hastings Direct – Refreshingly Straightforward Insurance brand.

The review will aim to meet the company’s growth and meet future needs, and will see all of its current above and below-the-line agencies invited to retender.

Agency Insight will support the process with final appointments expected to be announced later in the year.

Antidote was appointed to handle the company’s £7m advertising account last November, while the company also works with Rapp on media planning and buying.

A former Burger King executive has been appointed by Ticco Foods as a foof innovation and development manager.

Joanne Richardson will be tasked with expanding the food service groups portfolio of products; including bakery and morning goods, speciality breads, desserts and ice cream, plus delicatessen, appetisers, savouries and main meals including cured meats, pasties, filled pasta and pizza.

Richardson has over seven years’ experience at Burger King as an innovation and commercialisation manager, experience which puts her in good stead at the trade food supplier.

Ticco Foods MD Jay Sanghera commented: "We are delighted to welcome Joanne to the team and look forward to working with her to develop the business even further. Innovation, style and passion is at the heart of everything we do, so Joanne's extensive experience in this area will be of huge value, and ensure we continue to provide our customers with a fantastic choice of great tasting and highly innovative products."

Bauer Media UK has today announced that it has agreed with Times of India to acquire the Absolute Radio business.

Subject to regulatory clearance, the deal will see Absolute Radio join radio brands such as heat, Planet Rock, Kerrang!, The Hits and Magic.

Paul Keenan, CEO, Bauer Media UK, said, “We are looking forward to working with the award-winning team at Absolute Radio and have great respect for what it has achieved. We are excited about welcoming this complementary music radio business with renowned digital assets into Bauer.

“Absolute Radio and its sister brands are loved by millions of UK consumers and by advertisers. This acquisition will be an opportunity to learn and share across both businesses.”

Donnach O’Driscoll, CEO of Absolute Radio, added: “The Absolute Radio business has never been in better shape as we approach our fifth birthday. Bauer Media UK is a business that really cares about building famous media and entertainment brands and music radio in particular. This brand will continue to thrive as part of the Bauer group.”

Absolute Radio runs a network of digital station brands, including Absolute Radio 60s, Absolute Radio 70s, Absolute 80s, Absolute Radio 90s, Absolute Radio 00s and Absolute Classic Rock.

Whiskas has joined forces with the WWF raise funds to help protect the world’s wild tigers.

The cat care brand is supporting the WWF’s global tiger conservation efforts, which aims to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022, with a contribution from every special pack of Whiskas sold.

“At Whiskas we’re passionate about caring for all cats, both big and small, and understand that with as few as 3,200 remaining in the wild, tigers are in urgent need of our care. This is why we’re so privileged and excited to be partnering with WWF, as together this summer through pack sales we will raise £500,000 for WWF’s Tigers Alive initiative,” commented Helen Heasman, premium cat portfolio manager, Whiskas.

The fully integrated, through-the-line campaign features a new TV ad from AMV BBDO, highlighting just how endangered wild tigers have become and how consumers can join with Whiskas to help protect the remaining few. The new ad builds on Whiskas’ ‘Big Cat Little Cat’ campaign from earlier in the year, which centres on the connection between small cats and their big cousins.

David Nussbaum, chief executive, WWF-UK, added: “Wild tigers are at a tipping point and action, or inaction, in the coming decade will decide their fate. This is why initiatives such as our partnership with Whiskas are so important…High profile partnerships with organisations such as Whiskas can help us take our messages and work even further – to new audiences, in new and innovative ways – helping inspire everyone to take action and help protect our beautiful planet and its amazing wildlife.”

On top of TV advertising the partnership will be supported by PR, in-store and on-pack promotional activity.

Brighouse-based Faith PR has expanded its team with the appointment of former England international netballer Joanne Walker as account executive.

Walker brings previous industry experience from periods at Leeds Golf Centre and Physique physiotherapy to the role and her position at Faith will focus on clients in the beauty, retail and food and drink sectors.

Stefanie Hopkins, Faith PR founder and director, said: “We are thrilled to have someone as talented as Joanne join our expanding team and believe her experience, skills and enthusiasm will add significant value for our clients.”

Walker recently gained a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Communications at Leeds Metropolitan University and as captain of Yorkshire’s Superleague netball franchise, her face may be familiar from appearances on Sky Sports. Walker said she was looking forward to helping the agency drive its growth plans.

The7stars has announced the appointment of Michelle Di-Lorenzo, previously associate director at Rapp, to the newly created role of communications strategist.

Di-Lorenzo will work across all accounts and be tasked with further developing the agency’s digital proposition.

She said: “The7stars is a vibrant, young agency and a leading light in the industry. I’m excited to be bringing my breadth of digital experience to the company and helping to develop a strategic approach to digital media. I’ll be proud to work alongside such talented colleagues and with fantastic clients.”

She will report into Dino Myers-Lamptey, head of strategy at the agency.

Myers-Lamptey said: “Michelle is joining us at a key time of rapid growth and an expanding client base. As all media increasingly turns digital, we need enterprising people who naturally bring this expertise. Michelle’s digital knowledge and strategic mind will help us to stay ahead and deliver an industry leading proposition to our clients.”

Di-Lorenzo has been working in digital media since 2000.

The former First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, has said that the proposed crackdowns on internet pornography, coupled with the preventative steps currently being proposed in the wake of the Twitter rape threats issued to campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, enhance internet freedom, rather than restrict it.

His intervention comes in the weekend that Criado-Perez said she received up to fifty coordinated rape and death threats via Twitter per hour, following her successful campaign to feature Jane Austen’s image on future UK banknotes.

Twitter has responded by announcing measures to simplify the reporting of abuse.

Scotland Yard confirmed a 21 year old man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

“Warnings on internet porn, twitter rape threats and sex mags in supermarkets do not restrict our freedom, they enhance it,” McConnell said this morning, via both Twitter and Facebook.

So called lads mags which feature images of women, but are not categorized as pornographic, have come under pressure after the Co-op announced that it would give the magazine publishers until 9 September to ‘cover up’, or be removed from sale across its 4000 stores.

Clarks Clear Honey has unveiled its identity, packaging and advertising, created by Leahy Brand Design, as it is set to launch over the coming month.

LBD, who have been working with Clarks on its maple syrup range, were briefed to produce a design and swing tag for a 340g-glass jar and 250g squeezy bottles as well as A4 press advertisements.

Tim Leahy, managing director and founding partner of Leahy Brand Design, said: "The new Clarks It! brand positioning directed our creative approach for Clarks Honey. LBD created a simple, approachable, fun design and tone of voice for a category that has become rather worthy and 'stuck together' on purity message. The iconic splat illustration we used for the Maple Syrup range was extended across to a flower head and British bee. It's a more relaxed and informal approach that supports Clarks new product range and we are confident it will appeal to retailers and consumers alike."

LBD worked to promote the brand’s USP of blending British honey, as well as actively supporting the British Bee Farmers.

CEO and founder Bob Clark said: "We realised that no one else produces a blended honey that contains British honey and we saw a great opportunity to be first to market. It was crucial that we had a brand and design that would stand out on shelf against the established players and communicate to consumers that they were getting British honey how they like it, clear and runny."

Costa has announced the appointment of Carol Welch as brand and innovation director, where she will look to continue the development of the brand.

Welch will join the Costa management board at the end of July.

She said: “Costa is a fantastic brand and a young and vibrant business. Brand growth has come through staying ahead of customer needs and delivering innovative solutions with excellence. I’m very excited to be part of the next stage of Costa’s journey.”

In her role, Welch will report into managing director Christopher Rogers.

Rogers said: “Carol joins us as Costa moves into its next stage of growth. We have laid out ambitious plans to double the size of the business to £2bn system sales in the next five years and finding new and exciting ways to innovate our products and services will be vital as we build the Costa brand around the world.”

Most recently, Welch was at Associated British Foods, where she led the brand turnaround of both Jordans Cereal and Ryvita brands as marketing and innovation director for the Jordans and Ryvita Company.

Popcorn brand Butterkist is set to launch an on-pack promotion via an exclusive link up with motion picture giant Universal to help drive sales of its bagged and microwave ranges.

The on-pack promotion will be rolled out this August, and will promote prizes such as five holidays to Universal Orlando Resort for four people, 10 glamorous trips for two to see a London premiere, 25 private film screenings for the winner and 50 friends at a local cinema.

Adrian Hipkiss, marketing manager at Tangerine Confectionery, said: “The Universal promotion gives Butterkist the perfect opportunity to attract a wide range of shoppers and reward our loyal consumers, whilst injecting movie-magic and value into the brand.

“Working in strategic partnership with such a renowned studio will help us to capitalise on our brand links to the movies, leverage the associated equity and reassert Butterkist’s authentic position as the number one popcorn brand in the marketplace.”

The promotion will run until December 2013.

Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum has launched an experiential campaign at festivals and events this summer in order to bring its #DiscoverRum campaign to life.

To engage with consumers across the UK a 1960s Bedford bus in the style of the Jamaican Omnibus Series, Kingston’s legendary bus service, will invite fans aboard for master-classes, tastings and brand ambassador sessions.

Inside the Rum Bus features tasting tables and booths as well as a hand-crafted bar designed to serve drinks to those inside and outside they vehicle.

Created by brand experience agency Flourish, the Rum Bus kicked off its tour at Lounge on the Farm in Devon and will travel onto festivals and events including London Cocktail Week and the Foodies Festivals at Edinburgh and Battersea. A Rum Bus event is also planned for Thursday 1 August at Shoreditch’s Red Gallery Market.

Of the activity, Flourish creative director, Guy Tremlett, said: “The chance to work alongside a luxury brand with a long and distinguished history presented many opportunities for us. We’re excited by the Rum Bus concept and believe it’s an authentic, effective way of introducing people to the Appleton brand and its fabulous products.”

A supporting PR campaign from Cutlass Communications and social media push by Silver Chair will also run this summer. Fans are invited to tweet images of their favourite discoveries along with the hashtag #DiscoverRum to win a visit from the Rum Bus.

Soho production company Madam has turned to BETC London to create its new brand identity.

Set up by production industry businesswomen - Michelle Stapleton, Carly Stone and Pippa Bhatt - BETC London worked with Madam to produce a visual identity and branding palette representative of the production company’s ethos.

At the heart of the identity are images of lingerie flesh imprints revealing the Madam name alongside recognisable lingerie areas such as the garter, knicker and bra lines.

Madam co-founder Bhatt commented: “BETC London has created a memorable and evocative identity we are very proud of.”

Simon Morris, head of art at BETC London, added: “The name Madam is a gift with a rich set of raw materials for any designer. But it was important to choose the less obvious, clichéd connotations and be subtle and sophisticated with the visuals – rather than show a suspender belt we suggest the presence of one.”

Prime Minister David Cameron's call for Internet Service Providers to do more block pornographic images and offensive material may result in a filtering system developed by the Chinese government controlled company after he praised the system.

The PM’s demand that ISPs move to a “Active On’ default opt in filtering system means pornographic and other sites deemed offensive will be blocked, unless the user phones their ISP and ‘opts out’ of the filtering system. A Chinese company named Huawei, effectively owned and controlled by the Chinese government, has developed a series of filters that block certain content from ever reaching users and this technology is already place at the ISP TalkTalk under the name Homesafe.

HomeSafe is essentially a large database of sites that are banned or considering not being part of the Active On system. The filter allows URLs for a limited number of user-selected categories to be blocked for the home connection. This allows a user to block sites categorised as "Pornography" but to allow sites categorised as "Social Networking. The list of blocked sites is maintained by both ISPs and Huawei employees.

In an earlier incarnation of the system operated by TalkTalk both employees of Huawei and the ISP were able to add and remove sites from blacklist database independently. The system works by trafficking material through this large database. If a customer does not want the filtering system in place, then matches to Huawei's database are ignored.

Regardless of whether TalkTalk customers sign-up to the system, any URLs requested using TalkTalk's network are retrieved using DPI and added to a list for later testing. This means that the system isn't truly 'opt out' as it is claimed.

However, one expert insisted that private companies should not hold power over blacklists, and that the responsibility should lie with an independent group. Dr Martyn Thomas, chair of the IT policy panel at the Institution of Engineering and Technology stated; "It needs to be run by an organisation accountable to a minister so it can be challenged in Parliament.”

Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group added, “Pervasive network filtering would be an extremely bad idea. Based on inspection of users’ traffic, and being highly scalable, it would offer governments new means to snoop on users, and gradate censorship regimes. Censorship could be voluntary (opt out) or compulsory. Politicians could press to move new categories of “undesirable” sites into these bands. Opting out of censorship could be discouraged by the stigma of your ISP knowing what you wished to access, be that pornography, terrorism or hate speech.”

Last year Huawei came under intense scrutiny from both the American and British governments as questions were raised about the company’s rapid expansion in the west. Concerns in the US led to a Congressional inquiry into whether after Huawei-made telecommunications equipment was designed to allow unauthorized access by the Chinese government and the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

In the United Kingdom, the Conservative Party raised concerns about security over Huawei’s 2005 bid for Marconi 2005 and in 2009 a government briefing by the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee Alex Allan considered Huawei’s equipment as an alleged potential threat.

Brunel’s ss Great Britain, the Science Museum and Aardman Animations have come together to create an interactive experience encouraging children to engage with culture and the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Part of a three year project called Museums and Schools, which aims to give 8,000 Bristol children the chance to visit Brunel’s ss Great Britain during years six and seven, Aardman Animations was tasked with creating a game which pupils could play in the classroom and at home with their families, resulting in ‘Full Steam Ahead’.

A series of ship building challenges, based on those faced by Brunel, aim to teach pupils that Brunel’s determination and resilience to persevere, solve problems and learn from mistakes helped him succeed. Completing the challenges earns the player money and stars which can be used to buy extra parts such as engines, propellers, sails, etc. which can then be used to create the ‘ultimate ship’ that can cut through rough seas, carry more cargo, go the furthest distance and destroy opponents in tug-of-war battles.

"When we set out on our mission to inspire so many Bristol school children with the work of Brunel and the ss Great Britain, we knew that we would have to venture into the virtual world. Alongside the activities they’ll take part in here at the ship we thought the best way to keep that excitement going is to provide them with a platform that enables the pupils and their families to extend their experience, even when they’re at home. Full Steam Ahead certainly does that and we’re excited to share it with everyone,” remarked Rhian Tritton, director of conservation and education at the ss Great Britain Trust.

Aardman Animations head of digital Lorna Probert added: “This has been an inspiring opportunity to work with the ss Great Britain Trust to translate the wealth of material and knowledge about this historical ship into a fun and engaging experience for children. The game simulates the challenges that Brunel faced allowing children to learn from them in the same way that he did.”

New PR and marketing start-up Tonic Communications, created by duo Kelly Hill and Georgina Dunkley, has launched in Nottingham and Newcastle.

The agency has announced Vision Exxpress as its first client, and will now handle the company’s day-to-day activity including product launches, store events, charity campaigns and ambassador profiling, plus social media consultancy.

Hill, who worked for Porter Novelli for four years and will manage the East Midlands division, said: “Georgina and I formed The Tonic Communications as we wanted to offer affordable national PR services from our regional bases. Having worked with bluechip organisations spanning the globe, we both understand what makes a good PR campaign and we hope to prove that in our respective locations and in the space in-between!

“Vision Express joining us at such an early point in The Tonic’s history is a fantastic endorsement, and testament to our creativity and experience. We look forward to adding more brands and businesses to our portfolio over the coming year.”

Jenny Wye, senior PR manager at Vision Express, added: “Vision Express has worked with Kelly Hill for the last year, during which time she has impressed with her dedication, loyalty and ability to embrace our brand values. A proven commitment to delivering excellent PR results means we’ve recently expanded The Tonic’s remit to also deliver PR for Vision Express in Ireland.”

Dunkley, who will handle the North East office, has had experience working on regional campaigns for Bellway Homes, Newcastle City Council, Knight Frank and OneNorthEast.

Facebook has removed a hate-page set up in the aftermath of Drummer Lee Rigby’s brutal death in London, following complaints from his family and friends.

The social networking site initially suspended the “Lee Rigby Deserved It” page only to re-publish it a short time later to the horror of the site’s users. After a wave of complaints the page had finally been removed by Monday morning.

The page was flagged up by the family’s official Facebook tribute page - run by Drummer Rigby’s stepdad Lee, sisters Chelsea and Sara and friend Lee Brady - last week. Lyn Rigby, Lee’s mum, removed herself as an admin from the page because of the distress.

The RIP Lee Rigby page – which has more than 192,000 likes - issued an appeal on 25 July asking members to report the offensive page to Facebook.

Three days later, a statement was posted expressing disappointment at Facebook’s handling of the situation.

“It is so horrible to see pages like 'Lee Rigby Deserved it' being allowed on Facebook. Not only did we have so many people report the page and we thank you for that but it should not be allowed on here. Facebook did take away the horrible page only to review the page and decided to put the page back up for everyone to see as it does not apply to any kind of 'hate speech',” the statement said.

Drummer Rigby’s friend, Lee Brady, told The Drum the incident wasn’t the first mark of disrespect towards Drummer Rigby, who was killed in broad daylight in Woolwich on 22 May.

“Lyn has asked me to remove herself as an admin of the page for the time being as it’s all getting a bit much, which is very understandable. All this stuff regarding the page that’s shockingly allowed to stay on Facebook just after the incident with things being stolen from Lee’s grave is just a bit too much and she will need space and time away from the memorial page.

“I’ll be there in support of Lyn and keep her updated with the more positive things from Lee’s page.”

The page was removed shortly after Brady spoke to The Drum and Facebook confirmed it wouldn’t be back but declined to comment on why it had been re-published after its initial suspension.

A spokesman said: “I can confirm that the page has been taken down as it violated Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. While we can’t comment on the specific details of individual cases, profiles, pages, photos or groups can be removed from the site for a variety of reasons.”

Two men are currently awaiting trial for the murder of 25-year-old Drummer Rigby, which left the nation in shock. Thousands lined the street for the soldier’s funeral and offered a wave of support to his family. He left behind wife Rebecca and two-year-old son, Jack.

Two jurors have today been jailed for two months for contempt of court: one for sending a Facebook message about the jury he was sitting on, while the other used Google to look up the case he was sitting in on.

Kasim Davey, 21, from north London, had sent a Facebook message saying: "Woooow I wasn't expecting to be in a jury deciding a paedophile's fate, I've always wanted to f**k up a paedophile & now I'm within the law!"

He said that this was a result of ‘spontaneous surprise’ following the case he was on.

Joseph Beard, 29 was accused of searching Google for extra information about the victims of fraud in the case he was sitting on, and then passing his discoveries on to the rest of the jury.

Technology has moved a long way since 1993, when the decision of four jurors to use an Oiuja Board to make the final call on a verdict led to the collapse of a murder trial. Today, juries' desperation need not extend to the supernatural; today, jurors have Google - and the right to a fair trial is heading towards crisis point.

The problem is in the spotlight once again following two jail terms handed out to two jurors for Contempt of Court on Monday 29 July. Kasim Davey, 21, from North London was jailed for two months for sending a Facebook message about the child abuse case he was sitting on and 29-year-old Joseph Beard was given the same sentence for using Google to research a fraud case and sharing the information with the rest of the jury.

Rising cases of jurors being caught out searching the internet for information - and even contacting those involved in proceedings - have led to serious questions about the ability of the law to stamp its authority, and calls for extreme measures from legal professionals such as surveillance and jury sequestration. Contempt of Court law has traditional and comfortable jurisdiction over the media. Where it now struggles is finding jurisdiction over a juror in front of a computer screen with Google, Facebook and Twitter pages open.

If the right to a fair trial is at such risk, do juries themselves need to be kept behind lock and key for the duration of trials?

Cyber crime lawyer at law firm Pannone, David Cook, says it's the only course of action that could ensure juries don't access information outside of the evidence presented in court, but admits it's unlikely.

"Jury sequestration involves isolating the jury to avoid accidental or deliberate tainting and is a fairly severe option," he explained. "However, it strikes me that it is the only possible way to be absolutely sure that a juror has not researched, given how easy, prevalent and attractive such an option must be.

"But that would simply not be possible in the majority of cases," he continued. "With that in mind, I am unable to see how this issue can be resolved. Like so many legal issues with the internet, despite the best efforts of those tasked with policing the system, it will still happen somewhere and somehow."

In 2005, a jury bailiff found papers in a jury room printed from the internet during the trial of a man accused of raping and indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl, including information about the difficulty in obtaining rape convictions. His conviction was subsequently declared unsafe and overturned. He was acquitted at a retrial.

During a child abduction and sexual assault case at Burnley Crown Court in 2008, a woman launched a poll on her Facebook page inviting friends to influence her verdict with a vote because she couldn't make her mind up. "I don't know which way to go, so I'm holding a poll," she posted. The trial continued with 11 jurors after she was dismissed.

Joanne Fraill was jailed in 2011 for contacting a defendant on Facebook and revealing the direction of the jury, leading to a retrial and a £6m bill for the taxpayer. A conviction in a criminal property case was overturned in 2009 when it emerged a juror had uncovered a previous money laundering conviction online, while a juror in another trial turned detective and visited a crime scene, took photographs and sent the trial judge a Google map location of the site along with almost 40 questions about the case. And the list goes on.

Human rights lawyer, Aamer Anwar, says that the Contempt of Court Act 1981 negated the need for jury sequestration, but admits that the pre-internet Act has no provisions to deal with the digital challenges facing the criminal justice system, and calls on parliament to get involved.

"The implementation of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 dispensed with any need for jurors to be sequestered," he said. "But in 2013 I do not feel that there are sufficient safeguards to ensure the right to a fair trial in light of the advances in technology.

"It is now inevitable that research will involve going onto Google and downloading material which one might consider helpful in arriving at a decision," Anwar continued. "The concern is that if a juror goes home and secretly downloads material to carry out research there is no way of challenging this information. There is simply a lot of bad information on the internet.

"Parliament should consider whether legislation should be extended to advise jurors of the serious criminal sanctions if they were to breach their oath and carry out internet research, particularly focusing on the jury accessing social media in any form during the duration of a trial."

Juries are told at the beginning of their service that they must not access any information about the proceedings on the internet and should ignore any previous press or media coverage. However, the traditional focus of Contempt of Court law rested on the responsibility of publishers not to put information into the public domain which was likely to cause a substantial risk of serious prejudice to a trial, and the ability of the law to take action against those that did. Today it is struggling to contend with jurors having the tools to actively seek out information from a vast library of material.

And that material can build a much more colourful picture than some careless details in a news report; Facebook fallouts, Twitter opinions and Google gossip can all knit together to build a strong picture of character, but not of evidence. As long as the juror says nothing and the judge is unaware, a trial will carry on regardless of a juror's nightly investigations, creating a strong argument that the administration of justice has become fundamentally flawed.

A study in America last year showed many jurors found it a struggle to refrain from researching information on the internet. Just over a quarter said they would like to use the internet to find out more about a case, with 23 per cent seeking to research the parties involved and 19 per cent keen to dig up information on witnesses.

However, the American judicial system does have sequestration safeguards in place for juries in high profile cases, a route Cook thinks the UK could consider.

A consultation was opened by the UK Law Commission in November last year to review Contempt of Court law, prompted partly by the case of a juror having researched a defendant online.

In September last year, Donald Findlay QC spoke out ahead of a Scottish Parliament Justice Committee hearing into the role of the media in criminal trials, calling for stronger deterrents to prevent juries from using online tools to research information about defendants on trial. Prison sentences and computer checks were among the QC's proposals.

However, head of dispute resolution at Sheridans law firm, Keith Ashby, said research indicated that the challenge to the legal system from juries using the internet to research cases may not be as extensive as is feared.

“Recent research by UCL suggests that trial by jury in Britain has not been irreparably damaged by internet use because it indicates that the vast majority of jurors understand and follow the rules on how jurors can use new media,” he explained. “The answer, therefore, is to ensure that jurors receive very clear instructions when they are sworn in, so that there can be no misunderstanding about what is permissible and what crosses the line."

Jury surveillance, prison sentences and even hints of sequestration seem extreme solutions for dealing with jury members who opt for their own methods, but as the grapple between governance, justice and technology continues, how far will the British justice system go to ensure the right to a fair trial continues?