PCC bans newspaper payments to witnesses

The UK's press watchdog has imposed an outright ban on newspapers making payments to witnesses in criminal trials, scrapping the defence that such payments are sometimes in the public interest.

The press complaints commission is changing the rules after the lord chancellor, Lord Irvine, agreed not to introduce new legislation last summer.

Clause 16 of the PCC code, which relates to witness payments in criminal trials, now states: "No payment or offer of payment to a witness should be made in any case once proceedings are active."

The ban will remain in force until any proceedings are over and payments conditional on a verdict have also been outlawed completely.

However, where proceedings are likely but not yet under way, payments to witnesses will be allowed if the information concerned "ought demonstrably to be published in the public interest and there is an overriding need to make payment for this to be done".

Newspapers were told to clean up their act last August, when Lord Irvine gave the press one last chance to prove self-regulation could work effectively.

The lord chancellor made it clear he wanted the PCC to change its editorial code to outlaw witness payments altogether.

Although the director of the PCC, Guy Black, has said he believed there was a "very limited set of circumstances" where witness payments might be permissible, the commission has concurred with Lord Irvine's views.

"We have always agreed with the lord chancellor that, on this issue of witness payments, the administration of justice must be paramount," said Les Hinton, the chairman of the code committee.

"We have also argued firmly that the most effective way to do this is through tough self-regulation policed by an independent PCC.

"I am very pleased we have accordingly agreed on these important changes to the code. The process has underlined the strength of the code - including its ability to evolve to meet legitimate concerns about key ethical issues.

"It has also demonstrated how the code committee can work - in an open and accountable fashion - in partnership with individuals and organisations to raise standards of reporting.

"This is a timely reminder of the strength of self-regulation over any form of legal control."

Concerns over payments to witnesses were raised after several high-profile court cases, including the trials of murderer Rosemary West, school teacher Amy Gehring and disgraced pop star Gary Glitter.

Lord Irvine published a consultation paper on witness payments in spring 2002, in which he indicated he intended to ban them in law.

However, following intensive lobbying from the PCC, he agreed self-regulation might be the best way forward.

The changes to the code come into effect immediately.