Post Office scandal
More than 400 publications including The Mail, Standard, Gazette, This is Money Oxford Mail, Hereford Times, Somerset County Gazette, Worcester News, Ilford Recorder, Oldham Times and South Wales Argus cover our reaction to the PM’s announcement that the government will grant an unprecedented blanket acquittal for those wrongly convicted in the Post Office scandal.
Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson said: “We welcome the proposal announced today for new legislation to exonerate all those convicted on the basis of flawed Post Office evidence as part of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal.
“We accept that the government has carefully considered the difficult legal and constitutional issues such legislation raises. It is in the interests of the victims and the wider public that legal redress is made available quickly.
“Such an exceptional scheme can only be justified in these very extraordinary circumstances. It cannot be treated as a precedent or justify further government intervention in the independence of our justice system.
“Resource and funding pressures on our normal legal system and processes meant that they could not be adapted to cope with the needs of the Post Office victims. Instead, a new mechanism is having to be created. In many ways, the Post Office victims suffered from the delays and resource constraints of so many others caught in the wider justice crisis.
“It is essential that faith in our legal system to deliver justice is maintained as a cornerstone of democracy and that the systems in place – including the role of the Criminal Cases Review Commission – are adequately resourced to rise to future challenges.”
The Guardian and BBC round-up of the newspaper front pages report further reaction from David McNeill, our director of public affairs, also mentioned on BBC Radio 4 (from 10:30).
“It breaches a fundamental principle which is effectively the government legislating against decisions, against the independence of the courts. These are exceptional circumstances, it is an extraordinary measure. It must not, must never be seen as a precedent,” he said.
More on the legal advice given during the Post Office scandal in the Times (£)
Statutory consultation process
The Gazette covers our stance on the Judicial Appointments Commission’s statutory consultation process, as the recruitment tool is legally challenged.
We have previously said that statutory consultation should be abolished, arguing that candidates from more diverse backgrounds are less likely to be known to senior judges so less likely to receive positive feedback.
Inappropriate relationships in prison
Stuart Nolan, chair of our Criminal Law Committee, speaks to BBC South East Today about an allegation that a prison worker was found to be having an inappropriate relationship with a convicted murderer at HMP Belmarsh.
Women and Diversity in Law Awards
A former Law Society president, I. Stephanie Boyce, is among the judges for the Women and Diversity in Law Awards reports the Global Legal Post. Stephanie was recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award last year.
Also worth a read:
- Lawyer of the week: Sandra Okoro – Times (£)
- Pressure on Legal Ombudsman to publish findings in full – Legal Futures
- Can scheme to quash Post Office convictions work? – BBC
- Post Office: SRA’s ‘wait and see’ approach is growing untenable – Gazette
- Bid to increase rape convictions by allowing witnesses to prerecord evidence is failing – Times (£)
- Post Office scandal: Private prosecutions in the dock – FT (£)