England: Lawyers insist forcing Lord Janner to court would breach human rights

Lawyers for Lord Janner of Braunstone QC have told a judge he should not be made to attend court on Friday to answer child abuse charges because of his dementia.

A High Court hearing will decide tomorrow whether Lord Janner, 87, should be made to appear.

District Judge Howard Riddle heard yesterday that Lord Janner’s lawyers believe forcing him to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court would be a breach of his rights under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Barrister Paul Ozin told Westminster Magistrates Court that Lord Janner was “a particularly vulnerable person likely to suffer an extreme reaction an environment which is unfamilar”.

He added: “Steps taken to get Lord Janner to court would cause distress for Lord Janner’s family … which would be wholly unnecessary if the High Court concludes the decision of this court is unlawful.

“If his family are required to take steps which will undoubtedly cause Lord Janner considerable distress and harm, that is a violation of his Article 8 rights.”

However, Judge Riddle said he was “not prepared to adjourn the hearing”, which he said was “likely to take less than a minute”.

He also warned that Lord Janner could be made subject to a warrant if he failed to appear without a High Court intervention.

Lord Janner is facing 22 charges related to child sex abuse over a period spanning the 1960s to the 1980s.

The Crown Prosecution Service originally ruled in April that Lord Janner would not face prosecution due to the severity of his advanced dementia.

The decision was overturned by an independent review in June.

The chief magistrate at Westminster Magistrates Court ruled last week that Lord Janner must attend Friday’s preliminary hearing, if only briefly.