Government states case for ending double jeopardy.

The controversial law of double jeopardy - which means that a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice - came under renewed scrutiny in a House of Commons debate last week.

Paul Boateng, the Home Office minister, said removing the absolute protection of the defendant 'would erode the status of an acquittal, so that trials ending in acquittal would be seen as merely provisional'.

But he said 'criminals must be brought to justice, though the government has not yet decided whether to change the rule.

Conservative legal affairs spokesman Nick Hawkins said: 'In view of the importance of forensic scientific evidence and for the protection of victims and their families, the rule needs to be examined again.'Victoria MacCallum