One for the legal team here...
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:19 pm
Emergency laws are to be brought forward to overturn a High Court ruling limiting police bail in England and Wales to a maximum of four days.
Policing Minister Nick Herbert told MPs the move was necessary to allow officers to do their jobs properly.
Police had regularly released suspects on bail for weeks, or even months in some cases, while an inquiry continued.
But solicitors involved in the High Court case said such practices were "unlawful" and new laws "unnecessary".
Following a ruling in the case of murder suspect Paul Hookway, fresh guidance issued to forces said officers would have to re-arrest suspects in order to detain or question them again beyond the four-day - or 96-hour - period - and could only do so with "new evidence".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13970159
Thoughts?