Two Sussex newspaper editors have appeared in court in a rare prosecution that could set a precedent for journalists reporting court cases involving children.

Evening Argus editor Simon Bradshaw, 41, of Brunswick Square, Hove, and West Sussex County Times editorial director David Briffett, 61, of Glendale Close, Horsham, are both accused of publishing articles that contravened a court order banning identification of a teenage boy who had been expelled from school.

Both men denied the charges at the start of their trial at Mid Sussex Magistrates Court in Haywards Heath yesterday.

The cases hinges on Section 39 of the Children and Young Persons Act of 1933 which, when imposed by a court, bans the media from identifying children and young people involved in a case, including their name, address and school, and publishing anything "calculated" to lead to their identification.

The magistrates were told the articles were published last year and accurately reported a High Court case in which the boy, from the Horsham district, successfully challenged his school's decision to expel him. The High Court imposed a Section 39 order.

The articles did not reveal the boy's name, address or school.

However, Neil Moore, prosecuting, said that by giving other information, including the date of his expulsion and his start date at a new school, the articles identified the boy.