Frightened witnesses to get protection

WITNESSES and victims of crime will be escorted from home to court in order to give evidence under government plans to combat intimidation in the legal system.

Other proposals, which will be announced this week, include setting up more waiting areas in courts to separate witnesses from the accused as they wait to be called.

The moves are among 70 recommendations which will emerge this week from a Home Office study which also proposes changes to the way rape trials are conducted. Ministers have already given their blessing to most of the changes.

The plans are designed to ease the plight of victims or witnesses of low-level crime whose lives are often made very difficult because they live in close proximity to the perpetrators. The problem is particularly acute in built-up inner-city areas such as housing estates.

Jack Straw, Home Secretary, set up the committee last June amid rising concern over the widening gap between reported crime and convictions.

Since 1980, recorded crime has roughly doubled while those convicted by the courts have fallen by about one-third. Although part of that drop is accounted for by the rise in the use of cautions, ministers believe there has been a reduction of approximately 10-12 per cent.

The working party, which included representatives from the police, the courts and victim support groups, will publish its proposals this week, and legislation is expected in the next parliamentary session. The group will propose changes in the law to make it easier to prosecute those who intimidate witnesses.

Recommendations will also include use of escorts to and from court, the construction of new waiting areas or use of spare offices to separate witnesses from the accused and distribution of pagers to allow people to wait outside the court precincts until they are called.

Those thought to be most at risk may be given panic alarms to summon aid, and local authorities will be urged to help to re-house those vulnerable to intimidation.

Suggested changes to the way rape trials are being conducted will aim to make it more difficult for barristers to be able to cross-examine women about their sexual history - one element of the trial process which deters victims from pursuing cases.

The group will suggest that this should be permitted only after lawyers have convinced the judge of the importance of such evidence in private session. At present, the judge has to step in to prevent cross-examinations.

Mr Straw is expected to say: "It is crucial that victims and witnesses feel they can report crime and give evidence easily without being scared in court or intimidated by the defendants."