Kevin Scott [Founder and Director, Civil Liberty]: "The balance that needs to be struck on the use of testimony from anonymous witnesses at criminal trials is between the protection of witnesses and the need for a fair trial. In the UK, over half of all murder trials, particularly those involving organised crime or ethnic minority gang killings, have seen anonymous witnesses used to secure convictions.

Ultimately, there is a tension involved in allowing a defendant to know the identity of their accusers and protecting witnesses from dangerous criminals who would otherwise escape justice without the use of anonymous testimony. Anonymous testimony is an imperfect way of ensuring justice is done.

If done correctly, it will result in the conviction of some of Britain's most serious criminals. If done incorrectly, it could result in unsafe convictions to the detriment of an already flawed justice system. The process of background checks into anonymous witnesses, currently carried out by the police and prosecuting authorities, needs to be tightened up as a first step."