More secrecy in our justice system is not the answer

A petition was launched yesterday by Sir Cliff Richard and the DJ Paul Gambaccini to provide anonymity to those accused of sexual offences unless they are charged. Their reasons are entirely understandable. They believe their own reputations have been irredeemably besmirched as a result of being falsely accused of historical sexual crimes. Richard, Gambaccini and others fell victim to a climate of hysteria after the Savile revelations. The police and prosecutors, abashed by the failure over such a long period to detect Savile’s monstrous crimes, then massively overcompensated by suspending…

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