{"longTitle":"To make provision for the making of orders for securing the anonymity of witnesses in criminal proceedings.","summary":"This Bill would abolish the common law rules relating to anonymity orders for witnesses in criminal trials and replace them with statutory powers. <br><br>This is in response to the judgment of the House of Lords, on 18 June 2008, in R v Davis, in which it was held that the measures ordered by the court to ensure the anonymity of some witnesses had been beyond its jurisdiction.<br><br>The Bill has been introduced as an emergency measure because the judgment is likely to affect a number of ongoing prosecutions in which similar anonymity measures have been ordered, as well as convictions resulting from trials in which witnesses have given evidence anonymously.","sponsors":[{"member":{"memberId":463,"name":"Mr Jack Straw","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","house":"Commons","memberPhoto":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/463/Thumbnail","memberPage":"https://members.parliament.uk/member/463/contact","memberFrom":"Blackburn"},"organisation":{"name":"Ministry of Justice","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice"},"sortOrder":1},{"member":{"memberId":2024,"name":"Lord Hunt of Kings Heath","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","house":"Lords","memberPhoto":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/2024/Thumbnail","memberPage":"https://members.parliament.uk/member/2024/contact","memberFrom":"Life peer"},"organisation":{"name":"Ministry of Justice","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice"},"sortOrder":2}],"promoters":[],"petitioningPeriod":null,"petitionInformation":null,"agent":null,"billId":327,"shortTitle":"Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Act 2008","formerShortTitle":null,"currentHouse":"Unassigned","originatingHouse":"Commons","lastUpdate":"2009-02-24T15:05:42","billWithdrawn":null,"isDefeated":false,"billTypeId":1,"introducedSessionId":21,"includedSessionIds":[21],"isAct":true,"currentStage":{"id":1774,"stageId":11,"sessionId":21,"description":"Royal Assent","abbreviation":"RA","house":"Unassigned","stageSittings":[{"id":1760,"stageId":11,"billStageId":1774,"billId":327,"date":"2008-07-21T00:00:00"}],"sortOrder":12}}