Police warned over evidence disclosure 

  Police officers and lawyers who fail to comply with new
  guidelines on the disclosure of evidence should face
  disciplinary action, the Attorney General, Lord Williams
  of Mostyn, warned yesterday. 

  The new rules, published yesterday, address concern
  over weaknesses in legislation that still have the potential
  to lead to miscarriages of justice. 

  From yesterday, all defendants are to be given access to
  all unused material obtained by the police. Lord
  Williams said the guidelines would help to bring to an
  end miscarriages of justice, which he described as a
  "travesty" of the criminal justice system. 

  Since the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act
  1996 introduced a new scheme for the disclosure of
  information by the prosecution growing concerns have
  been expressed about its operation. A recent review of
  disclosure undertaken by the Crown Prosecution
  Service Inspectorate this year found that the Act did not
  have the "confidence of criminal practitioners". 

  Lord Williams said too many criminal trials had become
  trials of what should or should not be disclosed and less
  about the guilt of a defendant. He said he would be
  disappointed if police officers and lawyers who
  committed "gross" breaches of the guidelines were not
  disciplined. 

  The Director of Public Prosecutions, David
  Calvert-Smith QC, said: "Fair, timely and focused
  disclosure of material gathered by the police and others,
  which may undermine the prosecution case or assist the
  defence, is a vital component of a civilised criminal
  justice process. 

  "Without it the innocent will be convicted, the guilty
  acquitted and the system as a whole will lose the respect
  of the public for whose benefit it exists." 

  By Robert Verkaik
  30 November 2000

  "The Independent" - English broadsheet

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  30 November 2000
  "Perceptions" note:
  
  The above statements mean that before 29 November 2000
  "...the innocent will be convicted, the guilty aquitted . . ."
  under Britain's justice system. 

  And - because there are still no safeguards, only pious
  hopes - this may persist.

  But this state of affairs [only now officially confirmed
  by the Director of Public Prosecutions, David Calvert-Smith
  QC ], was and is always denied by most of those involved, 
  those who obtain power and prestige (and money) from 
  running the system: politicians, judges, barristers 
  (English elite lawyers) and senior policemen (and some 
  politically motivated media commentators).

  Therefore we can see that until now - and necessarily 
  continuing - Britain's justice system has and is 
  administered and reported mainly by self-interested 
  liars and hypocrites.

  This is to be expected - the "Altruist Survivor" principle
  says so. 

  R J-D

                                 - - - - - - - - - - -   

  footnote to 
  http://www.perceptions.couk.com/laworjustice.html

  which is itself a footnote to the Altruist Survivor: 
  http://www.perceptions.couk.com/genes1.html - genes8b.html    

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