§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General why, at the trial of Peter Sutcliffe, he decided to agree to the defence claim of diminished responsibility.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI agreed that it would be right to accept a plea to manslaughter because
- (a) the medical evidence from all four doctors of diminished responsibility was unanimous;
- (b) on a plea to manslaughter the judge would be able to pass a sentence of life imprisonment and the doctors were agreed that in their view, whether Sutcliffe was convicted of murder or manslaughter he should remain in custody for the rest of his natural life;
- (c) it would spare the families of the victims many days of extensive press coverage and detailed knowledge of the horryifying injuries.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Attorney-General if he will prosecute the German magazine Quick and the Countess of Gowrie for contempt of court in connection with the taking of photographs in court during the Sutcliffe case.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe German magazine is published outside our jurisdiction. There is no evidence that the Countess of Gowrie was in any way connected with the taking of photographs in court during the Sutcliffe case.