New law on anonimity must not be retrospective

THE Government is right to close the legal loophole which caused a trial to be aborted last week after the Appeal Court ruled that prosecution witnsses could no longer remain anonymous. Anonimity if offered by prosectors in certain sensitive cases as an inducement by people to come folrward to give evidence without fear of retaliation. The judges said that under Common Law, defendants had the right to see and to know the identity of those helping to convict them.

Gordon Brown says he will "bring forward next week immediate legislation to enable the courts to grant anonymity to witnesses for cases such as those involving organised crime and witness intimidation. "I hope and believe we can do this with all party support."

It would be wrong, however, to make the legislation retrospective, even if it results in accused people walking free. It would like reintroducing capital punishment and executing murders convicted since the ultimate deterrent was abolished in the 1960s.

Introduce the law quickly, but it should only take effect from when given the Royal Assent.