DOUBLE JEOPARDY RULE

That this House notes that the Home Affairs Committee, in its Third Report, has recommended a relaxation of the double jeopardy rule under certain conditions; respects the opinions of the committee and understands the concerns that have led to them but believes their recommendation to be deeply flawed; notes that protection against double jeopardy dated from Roman times and is a fundamental protection for the individual citizen and any relaxation, however well motivated or restricted, would undermine this essential safeguard against wrongful conviction; believes that its relaxation may allow some apparent injustices to be addressed in the short term but would lead to far more and far greater injustices in the long term; and calls on the Government, when it considers this matter, to reject calls for any change to the law in this regard.