Bar Council to back training for advocates dealing with vulnerable witnesses

The Bar Council has said it will support the creation of a required training programme for all advocates who deal with vulnerable witnesses.

This step has followed a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Victims and Witnesses of Crime, where Victim Support chief executive Javed Khan called for a formal system to ensure that vulnerable victims are fully protected in the cross examination process.

Bar chairman Maura McGowan QC said: "The justice system always has to strike the difficult balance between protecting witnesses, particularly vulnerable ones, and ensuring that defendants receive a fair trial.

“It is a fundamental part of a barrister's training to achieve this balance and ensure cross examination is never gratuitous or aggressive. In the overwhelming majority of cases, this balance is struck.”

She said the Bar Council would support the training programme and contribute to its design.