12 December 2014

Top judge calls for rules which force women to take off veils when giving evidence in court

Women in veils should be compelled to show their faces when giving evidence in court under “tougher” new rules to ensure that justice is done, Britain’s most senior female judge said today.

Baroness Hale, deputy president of the Supreme Court, said “ways have got to be found” to ensure that face coverings are removed for key parts of court hearings and added that there “must come a point” at which judges insist veils are lifted.

She said that seeing faces could be “important” and “necessary” when women were testifying and on other occasions, such as when the issue of identity or recognition was at stake. [Evening Standard] Read more