Article: How anonymous witnesses saw justice done

Anonymous witnesses are now called by the prosecution in more than half of all murder trials. The practice has allowed police to secure convictions after encountering a wall of silence from people too frightened to appear in court. Many, particularly those involved in gang-related violence, have only been prepared to speak out on the condition of anonymity. The real identity of a crucial witness to the new year murders of Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis, the Birmingham teenagers caught in gang crossfire, was only known to the prosecution and judge.

The man, a criminal who was given the alias of Mark Brown, had his voice altered and was hidden from Leicester Crown Court by a screen. ...

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