UK News 26-10-2004 Jury Should Know Offender`s Record who: Home Secretary David Blunkett what: Announces proposal to tell juries about defendants` relevant previous convictions when: Yesterday snippet: Home secretary David Blunkett proposed a change in the law yesterday "to make it more likely that juries will be told of defendants` previous convictions," reports The Telegraph. "Under an order laid before parliament, which has to be debated by both houses, judges will be able to order that juries should be told if a defendant standing trial for an offence in one of these groups had an earlier conviction for an offence in the same group," explains The Guardian. "An offence for burglary, for example, would be considered relevant if a defendant was charged with theft." "At present, juries are rarely told if the accused has previous convictions for fear of hindering a fair trial," says the BBC. "Cases where the law could have been applied in the past include the trial of Roy Whiting, who abducted and murdered eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne in July 2000. The killer had a previous conviction for the abduction and indecent assault of a nine-year-old girl in June 1995." "Critics claimed the move threatened the principle of innocence before guilt," says The Sun. "Pressure group Liberty said: `It`ll lead to miscarriages of justice`." [... more]

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