Timing: 00:00:00
Sarah, the manager of a café located opposite a jewellery shop, witnessed a burglary at the jewellery shop in the early hours of the morning. She observed the incident through her café’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) system. Despite the poor street lighting, Sarah recognised the burglar as John, a former employee who had left her café a year ago. Unfortunately, the CCTV system was faulty, and no recording of the burglary is available. Sarah gave a statement to the police, identifying John as the culprit. John, who has previous convictions for burglary, was arrested by the police. During his police interview under caution, John admitted to being a former employee but denied committing the burglary. The police are now considering whether an identification procedure would be useful in this case. Would an identification procedure serve a useful purpose in this case?
< Previous
T/F
Next >
An identification procedure would not serve a useful purpose in this case because the manager, Sarah, already knows John, the suspected burglar. The primary purpose of an identification procedure, such as a line-up, is to help witnesses identify the perpetrator among a group of similar-looking individuals when the suspect is not known to them. Since Sarah personally knows John and has identified him as the burglar, conducting an identification procedure would be redundant and unnecessary.
Key Point: Identification procedures are designed to help witnesses identify suspects they do not personally know. When the suspect is already known to the witness, as in this case, such procedures are not required. This understanding is crucial for ensuring proper use of identification procedures in criminal investigations.
Collect Question
userContent
