Health secretary Jeremy Hunt was in hot water with a top judge after taking to Twitter to comment on an ongoing trial.

The minister was reprimanded after taking to social media during the corporate manslaughter case against Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust following the death of Offham Primary School teacher Frances Cappuccini.

The 30-year-old, died of a heart attack following a caesarean section in 2012 and the trust became the first NHS trust to face corporate manslaughter charges.

Dr Errol Cornish, 68, a consultant anaesthetist was also in the dock, accused of gross negligence manslaughter, before both cases were dismissed today.

But following the prosecution’s opening statement on the second day of proceedings, the minister wrote: “Tragic case from which huge lessons must be learned.”

It has emerged that Mr Justice Peter Coulson QC ordered Mr Hunt to remove the Tweet and pass no further comment on the case until the result was known.

He said the move could be regarded as contempt of court, a criminal offence punishable by custody in extreme cases.