The Law Commission (LAW COM. No. 96) CRIMINAL LAW OFFENCES RELATING TO INTERFERENCE WITH THE COURSE OF JUSTICE Laid before Parliament by the Lord High Chancellor pursuant to section 3(2) of the Law Commissions Act 1965 Ordered by The House of Commons to heprinted 7th November 1979 LONDON HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE 213 24.50 net k The Law Commission was set up by section 1 of the Law Commissions Act 1965 for the purpose of promoting the reform of the law. The Commissioners are- The Honourable Mr. Justice Kerr, Chairman. Mr. Stephen M. Cretney. Mr. Stephen Edell. Mr. W. A. B. Forbes, Q.C. Dr. Peter M. North. The Secretary of the Law Commission is Mr. J. C. R. Fieldsend and its offices are at Conquest House, 37-38 John Street, Theobalds Road, London, WClN 2BQ. 11 THE LAW COMMISSION CRIMINAL LAW CONTENTS Paragraph Page PART I: INTRODUCTION .......... 1.1-1.9 1 PART 11: PERJURY A . PRESENT LAW AND WORKING PAPER PROPOSALS ............. 2.1-2.7 4 1. Thelaw .............. 2.1-2.3 4 2 . The incidence of offences under the Perjury Act 1911 .............. 2.4-2.5 5 3. Working paper proposals ........ 2.6-2.7 7 B . RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO PERJURY IN JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS ........ 2.8-2.93 8 1. The problem of false evidence not given on oath and the meaning of “judicial proceedings” ............ 2.8-2.43 8 (a) Working paperproposals ...... 2.9-2.10 8 (b) The present law .......... 2.1 1-2.25 10 (i) The Evidence Act 1851. section 16 2.12-2.16 10 (ii) Express statutory powers of tribunals .......... 2.17-2.22 13 (iii) Other criminal offences ..... 2.23 15 (iv) Conclusions ......... 2.24-2.25 16 (c) Possible liability for false evidence not given on oath ........... 2.26-2.29 17 (d) Definition of judicial proceedings ... 2.30-2.42 19 (e) Summary ............ 2.43 24 2 . The meaning of evidence ........ 2.44-2.47 24 (a) Oral evidence .......... 2.44 24 (6) Documentary evidence ....... 2.45-2.46 25 (c) Recommendations ......... 2.47 26 3 . Competence of the court ........ 2.48 26 4 . The nature of the statement ....... 2.49-2.63 26 (a) Materiality ........... 2.50-2.53 26 (6) Perjury by true statements ...... 2.54-2.5 6 27 (c) Contradictory statements by persons giving evidence on oath ....... 2.57-2.61 28 (d) Corroboration .......... 2.62-2.63 30 5 . Mental element ........... 2.64-2.67 31 (a) The present law and working paper proposals ............ 2.64-2.65 31 ... 111 Paragraph Page (b) Recommendations ......... 2.66-2.6 7 31 6 . Extraterritorial considerations ...... 2.68-2,82 32 (a) Evidence taken in England and Wales for judicialproceedingsabroad ..... 2.69-2.73 32 (b) Evidence taken abroad for judicial pro- CeedingsinEnglandand Wales .... 2.74-2.76 34 (c) Evidence given in other parts of the United Kingdom ......... 2.77 35 (d) Other provisions ......... 2.78-2.82 .36 7 . Miscellaneous provisions ........ 2.83-2.89 38 (a) Interpreters ........... 2.84 38 (b) Power of the court to order prosecutions 2.85 38 (e) Form and substance of indictments for perjury ............. 2.86 39 (d) Certificateofproceedings ...... 2.87 39 (e) Children ............ 2.88-2.89 40 8. Repeals and abolitions ......... 2.90-2.93 41 C . SUMMARY OF KECOMMENDATIONS . 2.94 42 PART 111: OTHER OFFENCES I A . THE PRESENT LAW .......... 3.1-3.18 43 1. Introduction ............ 3.1-3.2 43 2 . Common Law offences ........ 3.3-3.10 44 (a) Perverting the course ofjustice .... 3.3-3.5 44 (b) Other commonlaw offences ..... 3.6-3.7 45 (c) Contempt of court ......... 3.8-3.10 46 3 . Statutory offences .......... 3.1 1-3.17 47 (a) False formal statements ....... 3.12 47 (b) Criminal Law Act 1967 ....... 3.13-3.16 47 (c) Other statutoryoffences ...... 3.17 481 4 . Statistics .............. 3.18 49 B . CODIFICATIONANDREFORM ..... 3.19-3.138 52 I 1. General .............. 3.19-3.28 52 (a) The scope of judicial proceedings ... 3.22-3.27 53 (i) Application to proceedings other thancourtproceedings ..... 3.23 53 (ii) Consideration of the scope of judicialproceedings ...... 3.24-3.26 53 (iii) Recommendation ....... 3.27 54 (6) The mental element ........ 3.28 55 2 . Offences relating to civil and criminal proceedings ............. 3.29-3.79 55 (a) Fabricating or tampering with evidence . 3.29-3.33 55 iv Pa ragrap h Page (b) Preventing evidence or proceedings . 3.34-3.48 56 (i) Preventing the giving of evidence . 3.36-3.4 1 57 (ii) Blackmail to prevent proceedings . 3.42-3.4 7 60 (c) Offences in relation to members of a court . 3.49-3.5 7 62 (i) Influencing the decision in judicial proceedings . 3.50-3.5 2 62 (2) Misconduct as a member of a jury or tribunal . 3.53-3.5 5 64 (iii) Impersonating a member of a jury . 3.5 6-3.5 7 64 (d) Offences recommended by the Phitlimore Committee . 3.5 8-3.75 65 (i) Taking reprisals . 3.5 8-3.63 65 (ii) Publishing false allegations as to corrupt judicial conduct . 3.64-3.70 67 (iii) Supplementary offences . 3.7 1-3.75 68 (e) Publishing matter with intent to pervert justice . 3.76-3.79 71 3. Offences relating to criminal proceedings and investigation . 3.80-3.122 72 (a) Introduction . 3.80-3.83 72 (b) General considerations . ; . 3.84-3.90 73 (c) False statements to the police . 3.9 1-3.102 76 (i) False information in a formal writ- ten statement . 3.94-3.96 77 (ii) Falsely implicating an innocent person . 3.97 78 (iii) False admission of an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1972 . 3.98-3.101 79 (d) Other conduct interfering with investigations , . 3.103-3.114 80 (i) Threats and bribes to induce the withholding of information . 3.104-3.107 81 (ii) Threats and bribes to secure the giving of false information . 3.108 82 (iii) Other ways of impeding investigations . 3.109-3.113 82 (e) Impersonating adefendant . 3.115 85 v) Inducing a plea of guilty or not guilty by threat or payment . 3.116-3.119 85 (g> Avoiding trial . 3.120-3.122 87 4. Corroboration . 3.123-3.124 88 5. Terrritorial jurisdiction . 3.125-3.13 1 88 6. Abolitions, repeals and amendments . 3.132-3.138 91 (a) Common law offences . 3.13 2-3.13 7 91 (b) Statutory offences . 3.138 92 C. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS . 3.139-3.143 93 V Paragraph Page PART IV: PROCEDURE AND PENALTIES A. CONSENT REQUIRED FOR PROSECUTION 4.1-4.5 97 B. CONVICTION OF ALTERNATIVE OFFENCE . , 4.6-4.7 98. C. THE EFFECT OF AN OFFENCE UPON OTHER PROCEEDINGS . 4.8-4.10 99 D. PENALTIESANDMODEOFTRIAL . 4.1 1-4.25 99 1. Penalties . 4.1 1-4.2 1 99 (a) Perjuryandalliedoffences. 4.12 100 (b) Other offences . 4.13-4.21 100 (i) Imprisonment . , . 4.14-4.16 100 (ii) Monetary penalties . 4.17-4.20 102 (iii) Professional or other disqualification . 4.21 103 2. _Modeof trial . 4.22-4.24 103 (a) Perjuryandalliedoffences. 4.22 103 (b) The other offences . , . 4.23-4.24 104 E. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS . 4.25 104 PART V: CUMULATIVE SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS . 5.1-5.5 106 APPENDIXA Draft Administration of Justice (Of- fences) Bill with Explanatory Notes 116 APPENDIXB Organisations and individuals who com- mented on the Law Commission’s Work- ing Paper No. 33, “Perjury and Kindred Offences”. 204 APPENDIXC Organisations and Individuals who com- mented on the Law Commission’s Work- ing Paper No. 62, “Offences relating to the Administration of Justice”. 205 vi THE LAW COMMISSION Item XVIII of the Second Programme CRIMINAL LAW OFFENCES RELATING TO INTERFERENCE WITH THE COURSE OF JUSTICE To the Right Honourable the Lord Hailsham of St. Marylebone, C.H., Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report deals with offences relating to interference with the course of justice including perjury and makes recommendations for the reform and codification of the law in this field. A draft Bill, which would give effect to those recommendations which require legislation, is attached’. 1.2 In our Second Programme of Law Reform2 we recommended a comprehensive examination of the criminal law with a view to its codification. Our Report on Conspiracy and Criminal Law Ref~rm,~which was a part of that examination, recommended that for the future the crime of conspiracy should, with some temporary exceptions, be limited to agreements to commit a crime, and this recommendation has become law.4 That recommendation made it necessary to examine certain areas of the law where gaps would be left by the limitation of conspiracy to conspiracy to commit an offence; where such gaps were revealed, it became necessary to consider whether and if so what new substantive offences were required. 1.3 ,One of these areas was that’relating to the administration of justice. In Workikg Paper No. 625 we examined offences relating to interference with the course of justice and reached the conclusion that there was a common law offence of perverting the course of justice which was of wide and uncertain ambit, and which could be committed by one person without any requirement of conspiracy.6 Consultation confirmed our conclusion. We were therefore able to say in our -Report on Conspiracy and Criminal Law Reform’ that the restriction of conspiracy to conspiracy to commit an offence would not result in any narrowing of the law relating to interference with the course of justice.