Defence counsel Tony Lenehan has revealed the reality of having cameras inside the courtroom as the BBC documentary series Murder Trial returns with new episodes. The series, which follows real murder trials in Scotland's High Courts, is now streaming on BBC iPlayer.
Cameras are low-profile and forgotten
Instead of camera crews, small remote operating devices are placed around the courtroom. Lenehan said: "In the build up to it I was particularly conscious of the fact that my role would be filmed." He added: "Well, the truth is probably within the first day you forget that the cameras are there because you're so focused on just doing the job that you ordinarily do."
He noted the cameras were "not eye catching" and there was no-one to say "action", meaning everything viewers see was exactly how it played out in the courtroom.
No staging in court scenes
Lenehan stated: "All of the court scenes are recorded from the trial. There's nothing that's staged or anything like that, all of the course scenes are 100% captured during a live high court trial." He added that it was "not as if we're trying to retake things" and the trial coincidentally had "low profile cameras stage round about the court".
Public confidence in justice
Lenehan hopes viewers will realise the importance of public access to courts. He said: "I'm a strong believer in public justice, so the courts are run on behalf of the public, and so it's important that the public can have confidence in what happens in the courts." He added: "So steps like this, which bring the public into the courts for these important trials, I think are very important for the general confidence in the way we administer justice in this country."
Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker explores the case of David Campbell, accused of killing ex-colleague Brian Low in February 2024. He was put on trial for murder in 2026, a charge he denied. The synopsis reads: "Guilty or not guilty? Murder Trial, returns to the Scottish High Courts with the case of a man found dead in the middle of the countryside, with no witnesses, no forensics linking a suspect to the deceased and an accused man who the prosecution say has meticulously covered his tracks."
