Father jailed for filming teenage son's burglary court case on his new iPhone 

• Jamie Griffiths, 41, filmed two videos of judge during son's burglary trial 
• Alan Conrad QC saw him and said: 'What are you doing? Put that phone away'
• The defence lawyer apologised for him and claimed he was 'trying to turn it off'
• His son Jamie, 19, was being tried for burglary, will be sentenced next month

By Jay Akbar For Mailonline

Published: 03:56 EST, 2 May 2015 | Updated: 07:53 EST, 2 May 2015

The father who filmed his son's court case on his phone has been jailed for three months.

41-year-old Jamie Griffiths used his iPhone to record two videos of Judge Alan Conrad QC and court officials while his son Jordan was being tried for burglary. 

But the judge spotted the man from Bootle, Liverpool pointing the device and told him: 'What are you doing? Put that phone away.'

Taking photographs or filming is forbidden in courtrooms and carries a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison.

Forbidden: Jamie Griffiths used his iPhone to record two videos of Judge Alan Conrad QC (pictured) and court officials in Liverpool Crown Court

Griffiths initially claimed he took the videos 'by mistake' because his phone was new but eventually confessed to filming the judge from his seat in the public gallery - and pleaded guilty to contempt.

Judge Alan Conrad said: 'There are notices all over the court building that to take photos in court is a serious offence.

'The message must go out that these offences are viewed as serious by the court. I have seen two video clips that were taken, about three quarters of a minute each in length. 

'When I came in court I could see Mr Griffiths in the public gallery holding a mobile phone and in order not to disrupt the proceedings I told him to put it away. But from the angle he was holding it I suspected he was filming proceedings.'

His son's defence lawyer Neil Gunn said Griffiths apologised on his behalf, saying: 'He says this is a new iPhone, he's had it less than a week and he didn't intend to film proceedings. He was making efforts to turn it off.'

But prosecutor Graham Pickavance said: 'It was done twice. Once is understandable, twice is perhaps a little bit too far.'

Guilty: Griffiths initially claimed he took the videos 'by mistake' because his phone was new but eventually confessed to filming the judge at Liverpool Crown Court (file photo)

Jamie Griffiths has 28 previous convictions for 41 offences including theft, burglary, drugs and alcohol matters, possessing knives and racially aggravated harassment, the Liverpool Echo reported.

19-year-old Jordan Griffiths of The Marian Way in Bootle and Jake Fagan, 19, of Exeter Road, Ellesmere Port, were to be sentenced over a home burglary.

The Liverpool Echo reported that Fagan was awaiting sentence for 13 other burglaries at Chester Crown Court on May 22.

Judge Conrad ruled that Griffiths and Fagan should both be sentenced next month which means Griffiths - who is already in custody - faces another three weeks behind bars.

His family reacted by hurling abuse at members of the press and Jamie Griffiths stormed out of the court.