RIP Roadmap of Schedule 1

[Quentin Campbell]

On Thu, 2 Mar 2000, Donald Ramsbottom wrote:

> What it shows is what I feared previously, that the chances of a Judge ever
> having to give permission under for a S:46 notice and associated gagging
> order is virtually nil.
> 
> I suspect when this all becomes law, it will take a massive miscarriage of
> justice of some kind on the scale of the Lawrence affair before the enormity
> of what is being done is exposed. Then it will be too late.The scope for
> abuse and miscarriage is vast. Having given themselves power, it is a rare
> event indeed when those in power relinquish it voluntarily and as this will
> form part of the state apparatus rather than some party political foible, we
> will never be rid of it.
[snip]

Donald

I quote below something I once heard during a talk on an aspect of
forensic computing as to why you need more than just the word of a
Policeman (or other LEA official come to that) in such matters. It seems
relevant to your concerns over the RIP Bill as well.

  "This was precisely the sort of reason for which the Court [of Criminal
   Appeal] had been created. There was a precedent for such a course. In
   the celebrated case in which Mr Hemmerde had invited the Liverpool jury
   not to convict an accused 'on the uncorroborated testimony of fourteen
   policeman', the Court had heard evidence, by way of confession, which
   established to the satisfaction of the Court, that the fourteen police-
   men had been mistaken in their identification." 

   [from "Hanged in Error" by Leslie Hale, Penguin Special (S196), 1961]

 
Quentin
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