Guangzhou: Reporting on a court case in China should be simple enough, if the rules are anything to go by.

The Supreme People's Court website states helpfully that, to be kept accountable, the "People's Courts should … eliminate the obstacles to the access to information and supervision by the public and the media".

But at Guangdong's High Court on Tuesday, where former jockey Anthony Bannister was appealing against a suspended death sentence for having commercial quantities of the drug ice in his luggage, it didn't quite turn out that way.

Despite applying for access in advance, court spokeswoman Yun Lizhen told me she was "highly concerned" that I planned to report the hearing before a judgement was handed down, which she said was against the law.

Pressed on what Chinese law or regulation I was contravening, she said this was an "internationally recognised standard".

"I even gave you the suggestion to just report after the judgement is handed down, you don't agree, so under these circumstances I won't allow you to observe the court case," she said.

Aside from the fact there clearly was no such international practice, I pointed out that even in China, high-profile, politically sensitive cases such as the corruption trial of Bo Xilai were reported in real time, before any judgement was handed down.

But that was different, Ms Yun said.

There was an exception for cases which attracted "great public attention" such as the recent trial of Takuma Sakuragi, a septuagenarian Japanese politician who is also charged with trafficking the drug ice, and who also says he was tricked into doing so.

"If it's something that the society is paying high attention to we will allow or even invite a wide range of media outlets to report in order to facilitate comprehensive reporting," she said.

If all are equal before the eyes of the law, the insinuation apparently made here was Bannister did not matter because had not drawn widespread international attention.

Which brought her back to me. As the conversation circled, it was clear the Guangdong court's main concern also highlighted the deep suspicion with which Chinese officialdom viewed foreign media outlets.

She suggested that I seemed to be the only one who cared what became of Bannister, who has been in detention since March 2014: "It's just your one media outlet who has requested to observe the case."

Suddenly, I was the one on trial.

"I don't know what your motivation for reporting the case is - are you acting under the instructions of the accused?" she said.

"How is that possible? We are professional journalists." I fired back, now genuinely affronted.

"You say that's not possible but you tell me: how can I believe you, sir?"

Bannister says he was tricked by a sophisticated drug syndicate who groomed him online, lured him to Guangzhou on false pretences and handed him a piece of luggage to bring back with him at the last minute. The string of similar cases have prompted the Australian government to update its travel advisory to China, reminding travellers not to carry luggage on other people's behalf.

with Sanghee Liu