“New proposals to give greater protection to victims and witnesses in court are among those set out in the Ministry of Justice’s contribution to the Draft Legislative Programme announced by the Prime Minister today.”
Ministry of Justice, 14th May 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Related link: Preparing Britain for the Future – the Draft Legislative Programme 2008-09 (PDF)
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
“There was no requirement to tell a wife that she was not a compellable witness against her husband before interviewing her about a crime of which her husband was suspected.”
The Times, 14th May 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
R v L [2008] EWCA Crim 973; [2008] WLR (D) 142
“There was no requirement to tell a wife that she was not a compellable witness against her husband before interviewing her about a crime of which her husband was suspected.”
WLR Daily, 8th May 2008
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
MY (Turkey) v Secretary of State for Home Department
Court of Appeal
“Where an immigration judge found a witness to be reliable and accepted his evidence, it was inappropriate and an error of law for another immigration judge at a second hearing to attack the credibility of the same witness.”
The Times, 21st April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“The national roll-out of two new initiatives – pre-trial interviews with witnesses and conditional cautions – has now been completed across England and Wales.”
Crown Prosecution Service, 1st April 2008
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
“Some prosecutors feel that children and vulnerable adults cannot cope with courtroom pressures. All that is about to change.”
The Times, 1st April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Much of a murder trial will be held in secret for reasons of ‘national security’, an Old Bailey judge ruled yesterday.”
The Guardian, 16th January 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Media organisations including the Guardian yesterday challenged a demand unprecedented in modern times – that witnesses at a forthcoming murder trial should be heard in secret, for ‘national security’ reasons.”
The Guardian, 15th January 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A chip shop worker who won £1m on a national lottery scratchcard in October has been jailed for contempt of court after she flew off on holiday instead of appearing as a witness in a criminal trial.”
The Guardian, 11th January 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Court of Appeal, Criminal Division
“It was not good enough to ensure the attendance of a witness to leave making contact until the last working day before the trial.”
The Times, 14th December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
Inner West London Assistant Deputy Coroner v Channel 4 Television Corporation and Another
“Courts should avoid trying to fit a coroner’s application for a witness summons into the template of civil litigation; because of the inquisitorial nature of an inquest, a more flexible approach should be taken.”
The Times, 11th December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note that the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“Five witnesses who refused to turn up for an election trial yesterday amid allegations they were scared of intimidation by Labour are to be warned by police to attend or risk jail.”
The Times, 5th December 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Response to consultation”
Attorney General’s Office, 27th November 2007
Source: www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk/
“Prosecuting lawyers and barristers will be allowed to interview their witnesses before the start of a trial to assess the reliability of their evidence.”
BBC News, 27th November 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Frail and vulnerable elderly people will be able to give evidence from their own homes via video link to courts in a drive to prosecute more crimes against old people.”
The Times, 8th November 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“An initiative in the fight against fear and confusion felt by witnesses of the court process across England and Wales, has been launched by the Court Minister Maria Eagle, today.”
Her Majesty’s Courts Service, 8th November 2007
Source: www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk
“The Crown Prosecution Service today launched a public consultation on prosecuting crimes against older people, seeking views on how it deals with crimes against them and how it supports those who are victims and witnesses.”
Crown Prosecution Service press release, 7th November 2007
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
“When considering a coroner’s application for a witness summons under CPR r 34.4, courts should be wary of trying slavishly to fit that request into the template of civil litigation. A more flexible approach should be taken to such applications due to the inquisitorial nature of a coroner’s inquest and the objectives therein of allaying, or confirming, suspicions and/or making any recommendations for the future.”
WLR Daily, 1st November 2007
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note: once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
“Witnesses to gun crime should be given a guarantee they will not be identified in court, police chiefs say.”
BBC News, 6th September 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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