"The government's evidence in the China espionage trial was missing a critical element that meant there was no other option but to collapse the case, prosecutors insisted on Monday night. Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, did not directly blame anyone for the collapse of the trial but said the government's refusal to describe China as a national security threat meant all routes were closed."
"Matthew Collins, the senior civil servant who drafted the government's evidence, said he could not meet prosecutors' demands because the Conservative government at that time did not go so far as to label China a threat in the generic sense. He insisted that the three statements he provided detailed the range of threats that China poses to the UK's economy, cyber infrastructure and democratic institutions and that he was surprised and disappointed that the case had collapsed."
"Collins admitted that before the case collapsed, it was made clear to him by prosecutors that they were looking for a precise formulation of words in his statement, but insisted he could only give evidence on the basis of Tory government policy between 2021 and 2023. However, he said he would have detailed the range of threats posed by China under cross-examination."
Prosecutors said the China espionage trial collapsed because a critical element was missing from government evidence: a clear national-security characterization of China. The director of public prosecutions stated that the government's refusal to label China as a national security threat closed all prosecutorial routes. Matthew Collins, who drafted the government's evidence, said he could not meet prosecutors' demands because government policy between 2021 and 2023 did not generically label China a threat. Collins maintained his statements detailed threats to the UK's economy, cyber infrastructure and democratic institutions and said he would have expanded on them under cross-examination.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]