Twitter user held for naming victim

Michael Le Vell from Coronation Street has been charged with child sex offences and written off the show. Source: Getty Images

• Man arrested for allegedly tweeting child victim's name
• Victims of sex offences guaranteed anonymity in UK law
• Michael Le Vell to move to Australia when case finished

A TWITTER user is arrested for naming the alleged victim of a TV actor, who has faced court charged with child rape and other sex offences

The 23-year-old man was held today after the actor Michael Le Vell, a star of Coronation Street appeared in court in Manchester, England, on Thursday (AEST), The Daily Mirror reported.

The man, from Cheadle, Greater Manchester, was suspected of tweeting the identification of Le Vell's alleged victim. He was later released on bail.

Actor Michael Le Vell wants to move to Australia after sex charges laid

"Maintaining the anonymity of victims of sex offences is absolutely vital and is something that really helps encourage them to come forward," said Detective Chief Inspector Chris Bridge, of Greater Manchester Police.

"Breaching this ruling is an extremely serious offence and that is why we launched an investigation as soon as we became aware.

"Social media is an immensely powerful tool that does an awful lot of good, but it can also be used to spread rumour, speculation and in this case break the law.

"As a force GMP embraces the use of social media but when it is abused in this way we will take robust action to hold those responsible to account."

Under UK law, victims of all sexual offences are automatically granted anonymity for life under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992.

Le Vell, 48, who has played garage boss Kevin Webster for 30 years in the show shown on UKTV in Australia, is accused under his real name of Michael Turner of 19 child sex offences. His solicitor Richard Gawthorpe told ­magistrates Le Vell would contest the charges.

View the original article here