SAN DIEGO -- An angry Judge William Mudd ripped into the media Wednesday for allegedly showing David Westerfield's 18-year-old son on television even though the judge had ordered reporters not to do so.

"Not since this case was assigned to me -- on the very first day -- when I described the tsunami of people rushing to this courtroom, have I seen a feeding frenzy by the media as I have this noon hour in their efforts to photograph Neal Westerfield," the judge said before the trial's afternoon session began.

"It is absolutely appalling to this court," he said. "I have never, ever, heard or seen, anything like this."

The judge told local reporters that they were not to blame. He said the problems are coming from agencies he's never heard of.

Mudd defended his decision to exclude reporters and the public from certain hearings.

"You are witnessing firsthand why I do that," the judge said. "I have prided myself in my entire career of having my courtroom accessible to the media. This case has changed all of that, and this conduct is not going to help."

He told reporters that Neal Westerfield, 19, didn't want his face on television.

"This young man and his family have requested that the court honor his right to privacy," the judge said. "I don't know what's so hard about that to understand. The scuffling ... the stakeouts if you will ... remind me of paparazzi for some important movie star.

"I can only control what goes on in my courtroom and on my floor as it relates to this case," the judge said. "I cannot control what the media's going to do when this young man is done testifying today."

"I am venting. I admit it," the judge said. "I am venting to the wrong people. But I need the message to get out -- that this conduct on the part of the media is so detrimental to access to the courts that it is unbelievable the impact it may have ... not only on this case, but in future cases, as well.

"So if the media is so concerned about their right to access, they need only look at their conduct in this case to know why many judges will not tolerate any of this at all," the judge said.

The picture of Neal Westerfield was not actually shown on local television, 10News reported. It was taken by a freelance photographer who fought his way into an elevator with Neal Westerfield and had hoped to sell the picture to local media outlets.