Families call for right to make victim statements

A GROUP representing families of homicide victims yesterday called on the Government to give them the legal right to make victim impact statements.

The call followed a judgement in the Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) which threatened people with contempt of court proceedings if they deviated from victim impact statements when reading them in court.

A group representing rape victims described the threat as “reprehensible” and said the judgement was another example of the “endless slippage” in the justice system away from the victims.