"The law which attempts a man's life [capital punishment] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime — for a second crime is every day committed at the foot of the scaffold."

Marquis de Sade

Despite the author of those words, never a truer word was spoken. Because the law is not, and never will be, perfect, then doubt always has to be cast on all verdicts where a person has not been caught in the actual act. Even when caught in the act, where someone else could be responsible for planting what becomes evidence, all due process has to be taken. But, as we know, mistakes have been made in the past and innocent people died. With no death penalty mistakes like that can never happen. The UK has certainly suffered from executing innocent people in the past. Legal systems also need enough transparency built in so that the process can be scrutinised from outside and mistakes seen earlier and thereby rectified.

mp