But the forensic evidence is only a starter.DaveReading wrote: ↑20 Oct 2021, 8:09pmAt the cost of allowing the defence to argue in court that any forensic evidence from the scene has been potentially contaminated.thirdcrank wrote: ↑20 Oct 2021, 5:22pm An interesting one here
'Amess amendment' for last rites at crime scenes
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58982505
An interesting development here, which has the air of something likely to be rushed through. Presumably, in the interests of equality, this must be available to people of every faith and treat victims and suspected assailants alike.
It's a non-starter.
If this were to be adopted, it must surely include some police discretion and it's in the nature of this type of scenario that the most junior officers are likely to be the first there and securing the scene is only one priority, second only to preserving life and preventing further crimes. Expecting them to know who can be given immediate access (last rites remember) apart from medics etc is asking too much. In those circumstances, how can they be expected to differentiate between a genuine cleric and an impostor?
One more person adding evidence of their presence to the scene is bad enough but there's the likelihood that once back outside, they'll be pumped by the media for every possible titbit of information. If there's been violence, it's possible that the apparently dying casualty has been involved in some way. What I'll term a religious sympathiser might have the opportunity to remove eg a weapon and even had they not done so, it's that much harder to prove that they did not do so. That's before the possibility that they might join in.
All this and more against the likelihood that Department Y would be round in due course to apply the benefit of hindsight why they acted as they did.
I'm only surmising but I fancy the police first on the scene are to be congratulated for insisting that the priest could not enter.
As an example of how crime investigation overrides religious custom, I think it's correct to say that some faiths specify that the funeral and disposal of the body occurs the same day. The body of a murder victim may remains stored for a very long time.