Thursday 13 Dec 2001

The jury and the Judge should know whenever a criminal case witness is paid to give evidence or has an expectation of reward, says ACT Justice Spokesman Stephen Franks. And there need be no delay in requiring that.

"It doesn't need lengthy reports from experts and law commissions. The Solicitor General, the Minister of Police and the Commissioner of Police should agree and announce immediately that it will be an automatic practice for Crown and Police prosecutors, pending any change in law or court rules.

"ACT has always supported a tougher criminal justice system. But New Zealanders will not support tougher punishment if we have serious worries that people are being framed.

"The Court must be able to assess a Police witnesses' credibility knowing if potentially distorting incentives have been provided.

"Payments of informants and witnesses, rewards and concessions for providing evidence may be an unavoidable part of any criminal justice system determined not to tolerate crime. But nor can we tolerate any risks of perjury or the suborning of witnesses, from whichever direction it may come" Stephen Franks said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>