Crosswords0 min ago
This does seem very strange,
Tens of thousands of murderers, rapists and violent criminals could escape prosecution following a "bizarre" legal ruling.
The ruling, made by a district judge at Salford Magistrates' Court and backed by the High Court, means an end to the practice of releasing people on bail and calling them back for further questioning later - a common practice in most major inquiries. Police forces can no longer put anyone out on bail for more than 96 hours without either being in a position to charge or release them. After the four days is up, officers can no longer question suspects and can only re-arrest them if they have new evidence, the ruling says.
Police chiefs have been left baffled by the "bizarre" ruling and both the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are currently considering the ramifications for forces across England and Wales.
The ruling, made by a district judge at Salford Magistrates' Court and backed by the High Court, means an end to the practice of releasing people on bail and calling them back for further questioning later - a common practice in most major inquiries. Police forces can no longer put anyone out on bail for more than 96 hours without either being in a position to charge or release them. After the four days is up, officers can no longer question suspects and can only re-arrest them if they have new evidence, the ruling says.
Police chiefs have been left baffled by the "bizarre" ruling and both the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are currently considering the ramifications for forces across England and Wales.
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This is the transcript of the Appeal Court's ruling, http://www.bailii.org...A/Crim/2011/1578.html
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I understand what you are saying, Eddie, but bail can impose restrictions on the suspect, such as requiring to report to the police station at regular intervals, surrendering the passport, or be required to desist from certain actions - such as no contact with specified persons or keeping away from certain addresses or areas.
If a person is suspected of carrying out a murder there would be nothing to stop him (or her) leaving the country whilst investigations continue, as an example.
This is extremely worrying.
If a person is suspected of carrying out a murder there would be nothing to stop him (or her) leaving the country whilst investigations continue, as an example.
This is extremely worrying.
-- answer removed --
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