{"id":3397,"date":"2022-10-19T10:55:05","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T10:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rfblegal.co.uk\/?post_type=insight&p=3397"},"modified":"2025-04-29T13:28:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T13:28:49","slug":"section-28-lutilisation-croissante-de-preuves-preenregistrees-dans-les-proces-penaux","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/rfblegal.co.uk\/fr\/perspectives\/section-28-lutilisation-croissante-de-preuves-preenregistrees-dans-les-proces-penaux\/","title":{"rendered":"Article 28 : l'utilisation croissante de preuves pr\u00e9enregistr\u00e9es dans les proc\u00e8s p\u00e9naux"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first of two articles, Piers Desser, Criminal<\/a> Litiges<\/a> Partner at Ronald Fletcher Baker, explains the origins of pre-recorded video evidence<\/a> used in courts and describes how the scheme works in practice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le concept de t\u00e9moignage oral pr\u00e9enregistr\u00e9 dans les tribunaux p\u00e9naux n'est pas nouveau. Bien que le t\u00e9moignage vid\u00e9o diffus\u00e9 au proc\u00e8s semble \u00eatre un d\u00e9veloppement r\u00e9cent, il a \u00e9t\u00e9 con\u00e7u il y a plusieurs dizaines d'ann\u00e9es et visait \u00e0 l'origine \u00e0 obtenir de meilleures preuves pour les enfants et les t\u00e9moins vuln\u00e9rables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The virtues of presenting evidence to a jury in this manner have been debated in the House of Commons on numerous occasions and the recent expansion of the scheme to include suppl\u00e9mentaires<\/a> Crown Courts va<\/a> mean that more lawyers will need to engage<\/a> with this format of trial. Various aspects of this procedure are now worth considering afresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C'est la loi sur la justice p\u00e9nale de 1988 qui, pour la premi\u00e8re fois, a permis \u00e0 un t\u00e9moin de d\u00e9poser depuis l'ext\u00e9rieur de la salle d'audience par le biais d'une liaison en direct. Conscient du potentiel de cette technologie, Douglas Hurd, alors ministre de l'int\u00e9rieur, a command\u00e9 une enqu\u00eate afin d'envisager d'autres initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La commission Pigot qui en a r\u00e9sult\u00e9 s'est appuy\u00e9e sur une grande vari\u00e9t\u00e9 de preuves pour formuler des propositions qui \u00e9taient \u00e0 l'\u00e9poque radicales. Celles-ci pr\u00e9voyaient des t\u00e9moignages enti\u00e8rement pr\u00e9enregistr\u00e9s pour certains t\u00e9moins, en particulier dans les cas d'all\u00e9gations sexuelles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D'une certaine mani\u00e8re, il \u00e9tait en avance sur son temps et il a fallu des ann\u00e9es pour que certaines de ces propositions soient mises en pratique, notamment gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l'article 28 de la loi de 1999 sur la justice pour mineurs et la preuve p\u00e9nale, qui traite directement des preuves pr\u00e9enregistr\u00e9es.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Risques potentiels pour un proc\u00e8s \u00e9quitable\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les avantages pour la justice sont clairs. L'\u00e2ge et la maturit\u00e9 devraient \u00eatre soutenus par un cadre l\u00e9gislatif permettant aux preuves d'\u00eatre amplifi\u00e9es avec clart\u00e9 par une proc\u00e9dure offrant une protection contre les pressions potentiellement injustes du syst\u00e8me accusatoire et un examen solide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allowing witnesses to give their account in a more comfortable environment, not on the witnesses stand<\/a>, and at an appropriate pace would lead to more reliable evidence, the committee reasoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les inconv\u00e9nients de ce syst\u00e8me \u00e9taient les risques potentiels pour un proc\u00e8s \u00e9quitable. Le fait d'enregistrer la d\u00e9position d'un t\u00e9moin des mois avant le proc\u00e8s lui-m\u00eame cr\u00e9e le risque que le t\u00e9moin doive \u00eatre rappel\u00e9. La proc\u00e9dure judiciaire est notoirement dynamique et le pr\u00e9-enregistrement du t\u00e9moignage d'un plaignant \u00e9tait toujours susceptible d'entra\u00eener des obstacles pratiques en cas d'apparition de nouvelles informations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, it was anticipated that cross-examination would be restricted to an extent that made it difficult for an advocate to properly challenge<\/a> the evidence of the witness, dulling the long-established techniques for undermining credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, Section 28 was rolled out to a number<\/a> of pilot courts and the procedure quickly built up its own conventions upon implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, the procedure commences with the police deciding that the case is suitable for the witness, frequently<\/a> the complainant, to give their account as a video recording, known as Achieving Best Evidence (ABE). This means that the genesis of the procedure relies upon an officer making such a decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This recording then becomes the witness\u2019s evidence in chief \u2013 which would be played to the jury at trial. The footage can be edited by agreement<\/a>, but a potential flaw of this method is that the prosecuting advocate is already bound by the narrative questioning set by the officer conducting the ABE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Vuln\u00e9rable \u00e0 la qualit\u00e9 des interrogatoires de la police\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can have a discordant effect on how the prosecution<\/a> case is presented to the jury, especially in factually complex cases. It is also vulnerable to the quality of police questioning, which may be habitually suitable for a cautioned interview<\/a> with a suspect but not necessarily to adduce a jury-friendly version of events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Une fois l'EBA enregistr\u00e9, l'affaire qui se dirige vers un proc\u00e8s est alors inscrite pour une audience sur les r\u00e8gles de base afin de fixer un calendrier pour l'enregistrement du contre-interrogatoire en vertu de l'article 28. \u00c0 ce stade, il est important de noter que les lignes directrices pr\u00e9cisent que chaque acteur - l'avocat et le juge - doit se rendre disponible pour chaque \u00e9tape de la proc\u00e9dure, quels que soient ses autres engagements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cela pose des probl\u00e8mes pour fixer des d\u00e9lais appropri\u00e9s et exige un niveau d'obligation plus \u00e9lev\u00e9 que dans les affaires ne relevant pas du r\u00e9gime, ce qui peut poser des probl\u00e8mes \u00e9thiques, en particulier pour les avocats de la d\u00e9fense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

En outre, certains tribunaux ont demand\u00e9 aux avocats de la d\u00e9fense de fournir une liste de questions avant la date de l'audience pour approbation pr\u00e9alable par le juge. Si la discussion pr\u00e9alable des th\u00e8mes du contre-interrogatoire est sans aucun doute un exercice judicieux, l'approbation pr\u00e9alable des questions constitue clairement un risque pour l'int\u00e9grit\u00e9 de la proc\u00e9dure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Section 28 hearing itself, the advocate will be inside the court room with the witness in a room in another<\/a> part of the court. Appropriate time periods are set for questioning and it is incumbent upon an advocate to request permission<\/a> from the judge to ask a derivative question should the witness\u2019s answer give opportunity to develop the point further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judges have a duty to intervene in the event that unsuitable questions are posed or the style of questioning is not appropriate to the witness. Short questions in plain English are the order of the day. The intention<\/a> of the scheme is that both ABE and the recorded product of the Section 28 cross-examination are played to the jury at trial, with the witness absent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next time: In the second article to be published soon, Piers gives further insight<\/a> into Section 28 through personal experience and concludes his explanation of the scheme with consideration<\/a> of its future.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For further information contact<\/a> Piers Desser directly on <\/strong>020 7613 7138 ou par courriel\u00a0p.desser@rfblegal.co.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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