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Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill

I shall do my best to do so. I see that the hon. and learned Gentleman has been given ““Archbold”” to read on the subject: perhaps we can share the page. Further background in relation to our ECHR responsibilities is included in the explanatory notes accompanying the Bill, but permit me to quote Lord Mance from the House of Lords judgment. He noted that"““it may well be appropriate that there should be a careful statutory modification of basic common law principles. It is clear from the Strasbourg jurisprudence...that there is scope within the Human Rights Convention for such modification””." He went on to say that"““it is not certain that there is an absolute requirement that anonymous testimony should not be the sole or decisive evidence””." For good measure, I might add that I noticed from the ever-helpful Library research paper that there is international support—with conditions—for accepting anonymised evidence, described in the United Nations good practice guide. The late Lord Denning once warned that"““in the very pursuit of Justice our keenness may outrun our sureness and we may trip and fall””."