A relatively high number of the stories we publish relate to matters where there are attendant legal proceedings or other issues. In such circumstances, there may be restrictions on what information we can report and, as such, it is important that reader comments are not used to circumvent legal limitations. In these instances, therefore, we do not open the reader comment function for use.
Similarly, we do not wish our website to be hijacked by people whose aim is to cause offence by gratuitously attacking others.
Occasionally, therefore, we will make the decision to close reader comments on a story that is attracting offensive commentary.