§ Baroness Hilton of Eggardonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What conclusions the Director of Public Prosecutions has reached following his review of the handling by the CPS of the Damilola Taylor murder trial. [HL529]
§ The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith)The Director of Public Prosecutions has made public today his summary of his findings in relation to the handling by the CPS of the prosecution following the murder of Damilola Taylor. His overall conclusion is that the initial decision to charge the accused was correct and that to carry on with the case as various new factors emerged between charge and trial was, based on the evidence available, the right thing to do. There would have been grounds for strong criticism of the prosecution if it had failed to put the evidence before a judge and jury for trial. I have placed a copy of the summary of the DPP's findings in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.
The Director of Public Prosecutions also examined at my request whether it might now be desirable to allow prosecutors direct access to witnesses in order for their credibility to be assessed. Following his initial findings, I have decided to issue a consultation paper in the new year, which will enable the public, the police, the legal profession and the judiciary to express their views.