§ Miss Fookesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to alter court procedure whereby a defendant who pleads guilty can make malicious allegations about innocent persons who have no right of redress.
§ Mr. WhitelawWhile the right of the defendant to make statements in mitigation after pleading guilty may occasionally be abused, I am not satisfied that it 29W would be in the interests of justice to curtail it, and accordingly I have no present plans to do so.