"Move follows death of Frances Andrade who killed herself after testifying against former music teacher Michael Brewer..."
"As a leading charity warned that it was only a matter of time before a child witness kills themselves after the trauma of giving evidence, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced moves to spare them from harrowing court cases.
Children and vulnerable adults will be able to pre-record both their evidence and the cross-examination in a series of pilot projects due to start later this year.
The move will not come too soon for charities that have long complained that frightened victims or witnesses were being put through additional trauma by distressing and intimidating court experiences....
"Are we really waiting for a child witness to kill themselves before we accept that the adversarial culture of our courtrooms is wrong?,” added Mr Khan, who said he remained haunted by the plight of Frances Andrade...."
Short on time? Use our Category Search page.
Comments (0)