Franklin case - Mandatory recordings by gardaí vital

THE collapse of assault charges in the Franklin case has copperfastened the argument for clear and unambiguous electronic recordings of garda interviews of suspects to be made obligatory in all cases of serious crime.

Arguably, if such recordings were mandatory, the gardaí would have to abide by the rules, greatly diminishing the risk of cases being thrown out on grounds of inadmissibility of evidence. It would mean less time being wasted in legal argument.

As things stand, all garda districts and most major stations already have equipment for recording the statements of witnesses in serious cases.