Law Weblog

Previous convictions to be disclosed to juries

Monday 25 October 2004 at 8:10 pm | In News | Post Comment

Juries handling theft and sex abuse cases will be made aware of the defendant’s previous convictions and charges, under government plans announced today.
An order laid in Parliament today will mean juries will be made aware of relevant previous convictions and charges from mid December.

Speaking at his monthly press conference, the Prime Minister said he knew the move would be controversial. “There are people who believe this undermines a defendant’s rights. “But for too long the scales of justice have been weighted in the defendant’s favour and against the victim.” He said the change will end the situation where a defendant may have committed a string of similar offences but they are not considered relevant or admissible in court.

The order paves the way for the implementation of more general bad character provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 by the end of the year. Home Secretary David Blunkett added: “Trials should be a search for the truth and juries should be trusted with all the relevant evidence available to help them to reach proper and fair decisions.”

Details here