Regina v Pecco: CACD 22 Apr 2010

The defendant appealed against her conviction for robbery. She had been convicted after an identification parade, which she said had not been conducted properly.
Held: The defendant had two significant and apparent tattoos. Each of the other members of the parade could be excluded from identification because they had no tattoo. The parade had minimal evidential value and should have been excluded. In the absence of other evidence, the appeal succeeded: ‘it is important that this Code is adhered to. Mistakes in identification leading to the conviction of innocent persons have been all too common in the past. The rules as to identification parades are intended to minimise that risk.’

Stanley-Burnton LJ, Tugendhat J, Stewart QC J
[2010] EWCA Crim 972
Bailii
England and Wales

Criminal Evidence

Updated: 11 November 2021; Ref: scu.425196