Ban on witness payments

London - The British government said yesterday it would ban payments by newspapers and broadcasters to trial witnesses in return…

London - The British government said yesterday it would ban payments by newspapers and broadcasters to trial witnesses in return for their stories.

The move follows complaints over the reporting of the so-called "House of Horrors" case in Gloucester, the 1995 murder trial in which up to 19 witnesses were reported to have entered into media agreements or received money.

In the House of Horrors case, Rosemary West was given 10 life sentences in November 1995 for killing 10 young women and girls. Her husband Fred had earlier been found hanged in his prison cell while awaiting trial.