08 October 2007
Consultation results on Government's proposals to change the way in which the Court of Appeal consider the quashing of convictions and Government's response.
The consultation was launched over the Government's concern that some convictions are overturned because the Court of Appeal are dissatisfied with some procedural matter at the original trial, even in the event of a guilty plea, or if the Court are in no doubt that the person committed the offence. So the consultation considered views on what form amending legislation might take to ensure original convictions are upheld where the Court are satisfied that the defendant committed the offence in question.
Now that the results of the consultation are in, the Government's response has been to put forward proposals in Clauses 26 and 27 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill and keep these under review to take account of the views expressed and what is said in the course of the Bill's passage through Parliament.
The original consultation and the responses report are available on the Criminal Justice System website:
Quashing convictions consultation paper
Quashing convictions response report