A bill which will abolish the “double jeopardy” rule for murder and manslaughter cases was tabled in the House of Assembly today.

Junior Justice Minister Michael Scott presented the Court of Appeal Amendment Act 2010 for its first reading and it is expected to be debated by MPs before Parliament breaks for the summer.

The legislation will allow prosecutors to take cases to the Court of Appeal in future when strong new evidence — such as DNA — emerges after a not guilty verdict is returned.

Prosecutors will also be able to challenge judges’ rulings that there is no case to answer in murder and manslaughter trials.

See tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette for the full story.