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Article: Straw moves to change law over anonymous witnesses
- Article from:
- Yorkshire Post
- Article date:
- June 26, 2008
CopyrightCopyright 2008 Yorkshire Post. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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THE next steps to secure the use of anonymous witnesses will be
announced within days, Justice Secretary Jack Straw said yesterday.
He confirmed he was "looking at proposals to change the law"
after a Pounds 6m murder trial collapsed at the Old Bailey on
Tuesday.
Mr Straw said: "I am looking at the issue of anonymous witnesses
with urgency and hope to make further announcements over the next
few days.
"There is a difficult balance to strike here, between giving
witnesses who fear for their safety the confidence to give evidence
in court and ensuring that the innocent people are not convicted in
the courts.
"But it is vital for the public's confidence in the justice
system that witnesses are ...