Tory MPS in push for law change over ‘perverse’ jury verdict on statue
TORY MPS are hoping to push for a change in the law to help prevent “perverse” not guilty verdicts by juries in the wake of the Colston statue row.
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Attorney General Suella Braverman have held talks with the Common Sense Group of Conservatives, chaired by former minister Sir John Hayes, in the wake of not guilty verdicts for protesters who pulled down the statue of slave trader Sir Edward Colston in Bristol.
The four accused had been tried for criminal damage over the incident in June last year but the jury found them not guilty after the defence urged them “not to be on the wrong side of history”.
In a letter to Ms Patel, Ms Braverman and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, 24
Tory MPS and peers have asked for a change in the law to strengthen the powers of the Attorney General to have verdicts reviewed in the Court of Appeal.
It is understood that Ms Braverman is planning on taking the case to the Court of Appeal with her existing powers.
The group questioned whether the trial should have been heard by a jury and if it should have taken place outside Bristol.
While accepting that the jury system is “a cornerstone” of British justice, the Common Sense Group added: “Faith in the rule of law and trust in the jury system are essential components of effective criminal justice, which is endangered when the public witnesses patently absurd perverse verdicts.”
The group also has concerns that the verdicts could “set a wider precedent”.