Panter: jail sentence threat
As reporter Steve Panter was facing a judge this Friday for contempt of court in refusing to reveal his source for the name of the 1996 Manchester IRA bomber, his fellow NUJ members were being urged to ask their MPs to protest to the Home Secretary on his behalf.
The threat of a jail sentence hung over the Manchester Evening News reporter, who was ordered by Manchester Crown Court to reveal the source last month when a senior police officer was accused of leaking the documents.
Panter told the court the man was not his source but would not reveal the name of his contact.
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The officer was acquitted.
"Understandably, Steve is very worried," said NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear in a letter to members, which also asked them to picket the court.
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By Jean Morgan
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