Sir Richard Henriques Report

Lord Berkeley of Knighton Excerpts

Tuesday 8th October 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, in terms of taking the rap, the Henriques report makes it clear where accountability or failings have lain. It is a matter for the Metropolitan Police to hold the commissioner to account.

[Lord Berkeley of Knighton (CB)]

My Lords, is it not the case that this sorry story might never have unfolded if anonymity remained for victims until the police are ready to charge?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

Of course, the presumption is anonymity before charge, but there will be circumstances where the police will feel it necessary to release names—although that is not in most cases; quite honestly, in a lot or most of the cases recently, it was through the media actually releasing names. It is against the law, I think, and anonymity before charge is an important standard to uphold, but of course we can all think of people who, had anonymity not been there, may never have come to justice.