BRITAIN: Juries in child sex abuse and theft cases will be told about a defendant's previous convictions as a matter of course under significant changes announced yesterday by the British government, writes Frank Millar, London Editor
The Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett, said: "Trials should be a search for the truth and juries should be trusted with all the relevant evidence available to help them reach proper and fair decisions."
However, Mr Blunkett's move prompted warnings that "miscarriages of justice" would be the inevitable result of the "dangerous" changes in the conduct of criminal cases in England and Wales.
At present juries are rarely told of an accused person's previous convictions for similar-type offences, for fear of prejudicing a fair trial. Unveiling the change to take effect from mid-December, Mr Blunkett argued that the "current rules are confusing and difficult to apply and can mean that evidence of previous misconduct that seems clearly relevant is still excluded from court".
However, Mr Barry Hugill, spokesman for human rights group Liberty, countered: "Most jurors would find it very difficult not to be influenced by admission of previous convictions. That means you would be trying someone not for their alleged crime but for the previous crimes. It's guaranteed that it will lead to miscarriages of justice."
