Courts to screen gardaí interviews

GARDA interviews with suspects will soon be regularly shown on video screens in courtrooms under plans being progressed by the Department of Justice and a high-level internal committee of the Garda Síochána.

Justice Minister Brian Lenihan signalled at the weekend that the manual writing of statements by gardaí will come to an end as soon as possible in this term of government.

Mr Lenihan wants to see a system implemented where interviews and statements are recorded by video or digital camera and then played back in court.