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Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill

Does my hon. Friend agree that the real problem with the Bill, and it is a problem that affects us all, is that the Davis judgment will be examined to determine witness credibility? The judgment makes it plain that the Davis case was sent back to the Court of Appeal because the common law power that had previously been thought to exist did not in fact exist. Another reason the case was sent to the Court of Appeal was that the exercise of the protective measures—and they are precisely the same as those contemplated in the Bill—made the trial unfair. That problem will arise very often when the credibility of witnesses is at stake. It may stand in the way of the use of the protected measures, because Davis shows that they render a case unsafe.