Anonymity bill passes first hurdle

Updated 20.19 Tue Jul 08 2008

Keywords: Old Bailey, parliament, Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill

Emergency legislation protecting the rights of witnesses to give evidence anonymously in trials has cleared its first parliamentary hurdle.

The Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill was given an unopposed second reading by MPs.

Ministers want the bill to be law by the summer recess on July 22

Ministers plan to rush the measure through all its Commons stages, before it goes to the Lords, with the aim of it becoming law by the summer recess on July 22.

The Government acted after a controversial Law Lords ruling last month questioned the use of anonymous witnesses, leading to the collapse of a £6million murder trial at the Old Bailey.

Police feared other forthcoming trials would falter unless the Government moved quickly to clarify the law, and that a series of high-profile convictions would be quashed.

The Junior justice minister Maria Eagle has acknowledged there was "some danger in hasty legislation".

But she announced that ministers would accept a "sunset" clause, allowing the legislation to lapse at a later date.