LCD Press Notice 90/00 - 27 March 2000

EXPERT CONSULTEES NAMED FOR CRIMINAL COURTS REVIEW

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, today announced the names of experts who will assist Lord Justice Auld in his wide-ranging review of the criminal courts.

The Lord Chancellor said: "I have appointed a number of expert consultees as a source of advice for Lord Justice Auld. They represent a wide range of specialities, not all of them in the criminal justice system. It is very important, when looking at possible reforms to a professional system, to look beyond it for other viewpoints.

"Lord Justice Auld is not confined to seeking views from these experts. He has already invited contributions very widely and publicly. I welcome his inclusive approach."

The expert consultees are:

Consultee	Area of expertise
Sir Peter Crane	High Court Judge
Jane Hickman	Solicitor, partner in Hickman and Rose
David Phillips	Chief Constable of Kent, Chair of ACPO
Judge Christopher Pitchers	Circuit Judge
Andrew Prickett	Chief Crown Prosecutor (retired)
Dame Helen Reeves	Chief Executive of Victim Support
Professor John Spencer	Professor of Law, Cambridge University
Lord Stevenson	Chairman of Pearson plc
Richard Susskind	IT adviser to the Lord Chief Justice
Beverley Thompson	Director, Criminal Justice and Equality Issues, NACRO
Rosemary Thomson	Former Chair of Magistrates' Association

Notes to Editors

1. The Lord Chancellor appointed Lord Justice Auld, a senior judge of the Court of Appeal, to conduct an independent review of the criminal courts in December 1999. He has asked Lord Justice Auld to report by the end of this year.

   'A review into the practices and procedures of, and the rules of evidence applied by, the criminal courts at every level, with a view to ensuring that they deliver justice fairly, by streamlining all their processes, increasing their efficiency and strengthening the effectiveness of their relationships with others across the whole of the criminal justice system, and having regard to the interests of all parties including victims and witnesses, thereby promoting public confidence in the rule of law.'

2. The Secretary to the Review is:

   Michael Kron CBE
   Lord Chancellor's Department
   Selborne House
   54 Victoria Street
   London SW1E 6QW
   
   tel: 0171-210 8749
   fax: 0171-210 8845
   e-mail: [email protected]).

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