Plans for foreign witness evidence via video link

WITNESSES in court cases could give evidence from abroad under plans to use video technology in criminal and civil trials, it was revealed yesterday.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell has asked a committee comprising representatives of the gardaí, prison service, Law Society and Justice Department to deliver a report on the matter.

The committee, chaired by Mrs Justice Susan Denham of the Supreme Court, held its first meeting yesterday. It will examine a range of practical, technical and legal issues.

They include looking at the potential of video-conference technology in pre-trial hearings and in civil litigation cases where witnesses may be living abroad or some distance from court.

Mr McDowell said he believed the new technology had great potential to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the trial process: “It could achieve significant savings in costs for both the State and private litigants.”

Labour Justice spokesman Joe Costello welcomed in principle the setting up of video-conferencing in civil and criminal trials.

It could be useful for foreigners who may have been attacked to give video evidence for court cases here after they had returned home, he said.

Video evidence could also be useful for children who may be intimidated by the official setting of a court and would feel more at ease giving evidence to a camera, said Mr Costello.

But he warned that security precautions should be put in place to ensure that the person giving evidence was not intimidated or harassed.

Fine Gael Justice spokesman John Deasy welcomed the proposal to use video-conferencing with adults in criminal and civil cases.