THE Daily Echo has been banned from publishing any details of four men arrested in connection with the death of a man in the Moordown area of Bournemouth.

Four men have been arrested but a court order bars the media from revealing any details of the defendants or the charges they face for 48 hours.

Magistrates imposed an order under Section 4 (2) of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 dur¬ing a hearing in Bournemouth yesterday morning.

It means no details of names, addresses, ages or charges faced by any of the four men - or details of the deceased - can be published. Details of how the victim died are also being with¬held.

The order was made despite some of the details surrounding the incident having already been published after being released by Dorset Police over the weekend.

In a separate hearing, East Dorset District Coroner Sheriff Payne opened and adjourned an inquest into the death of a man yesterday. But, in an unusual move, he declined to release details of the deceased after being requested not to do so by the police.

The man died following an incident in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Police were called to Wimborne Road, near its junc¬tion with Hillcrest Road, at around 2.30am.

An alleyway between Bar Zuka and the Havana Wine Bar in Charminster was cordoned off by police during the investi¬gation.

An area in Wimborne Road, near the junction with Hillcrest Road, was also sealed off while forensics officers combed the area for clues and detectives scoured surrounding streets.

Although members of the pub¬lic were not thought to be at risk, police patrols were stepped up in the area in a bid to reas¬sure local residents.

In a statement, chairman of the magistrates' bench Mr Howard Mackenzie-Cook said: "We are satisfied that it is nec¬essary to make an order post¬poning the publication of the details of this case.

"We are making this order to prevent substantial prejudice to the administration of justice. The victim's family abroad have not been notified. If the details were to be published the police have information to show that serious violence may result within the Kurdish community to which the defendants and the victim belong.

"There may also be a serious impact on the evidence and the safety of the defendants before us.

"The period of the order is for 48 hours and this short period of time would be sufficient to enable the police to secure their position in relation to their fears in this case."

The Daily Echo made representations to the court and through our legal adviser subsequently to have the order lifted.

Detective Inspector Craig Travers said: "Dorset police and the Crown Prosecution Service made an application for a court order which was subsequently imposed by magistrates.

"Such an application is unusual and it is certainly not a decision that was taken lightly. Due to the sensitive and complex nature of the case it is not appropriate to comment further."

Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them on 01202 222222 or the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.