Straw: law 'urgently' needed to protect witnesses

Ministers are now preparing to rush through emergency legislation to protect anonymous witnesses in court after a "potentially disastrous" legal ruling that could allow dangerous criminals to walk free. A judgment by the Law Lords last week ruled that defendants have a right to know the identity of a witness testifying against them.

Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner John Yates warned yesterday this could trigger a series of appeals by those jailed with the help of anonymous testimonies.

He warned that it could also lead to the intimidation of witnesses and turn the British legal system into something similar to that of Mafia-ridden Sicily.

Last week, the Law Lords ruled that Iain Davis, jailed in 2004 for murdering two men at a New Year's Eve party in Hackney, east London, received an unfair trial because three witnesses testified against him with full anonymity. His conviction was quashed, as they ruled that it would never have occurred without the anonymous evidence.

"This is potentially disastrous," AC Yates said. The Secretary of State for Justice, Jack Straw, has since promised to consider introducing an "urgent" change in the law to preserve witness anonymity.

Source: Independent on sunday