DPP gets 50 submissions in disclosure of reasons review
The DPP, James Hamilton, announced details of the Reasons Project in January. It will explore changes to the 35-year rule not to give reasons either to victims or the general public when a decision is made not to prosecute or to withdraw a prosecution.
The failure of the DPP to explain reasons not to prosecute certain high-profile criminal cases has caused considerable controversy in the past and prompted calls for reform of the existing policy.
The DPP said recently he was anxious to explore how such reasons could be given in certain circumstances without infringing the rights of accused people and witnesses.
He said he would be willing to alter the current practice if a suitable mechanism could be found as it had the potential to increase public confidence in the criminal justice system.
“My own instinct is to be very cautious and to start with the more serious type of offence and see if we can do that, said Mr Hamilton.
A spokesperson for the DPP said yesterday that Mr Hamilton’s office would be willing to accept further submissions received after yesterday’s official closing deadline.
It is expected the DPP will announce how he intends to proceed on the issue later this year.
Meanwhile, Mr Hamilton has also called for new laws on the use of victim impact statements in court cases.
It follows last week’s refusal by a judge to allow the relatives of Siobhán Kearney, to read out a victim impact statement at the end of the trial which saw her husband, Brian Kearney, convicted of his wife’s murder.
Mr Hamilton said he was “disturbed” by the possibility a victim or a victim’s relative could be jailed for contempt of court if they “overstepped the mark.”
The DPP claimed legislation was needed to clarify the use of victim impact statements as judges appeared to take different views on the practice.
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