Despite being a defence lawyer, new PLP senator Kim Wilson has welcomed Government plans to give more powers to the Crown when violence victims refuse to press charges.

She said one of the highlights of the Throne Speech, which addresses the Criminal Justice System, is the proposed amendment to the Criminal Code 1907 which will permit the Crown to be a complainant in serious assault cases where the victim refuses to complain for various reasons.

She told The Royal Gazette: "As a former criminal defence counsel, I saw first hand the amount of cases dismissed when the Crown showed up ready to proceed but did not have the key witness, namely the complainant.

"In those cases, the courts generally had no option but to grant the application of defence counsel for the dismissal on that basis.

"This proposed legislation will no doubt be of assistance in securing convictions in cases involving crimes of violence when the Crown is in possession of such evidence as medical reports of the injuries caused to the complainant as well as other corroborating evidence.

"This should ensure the absence of the victim's evidence should not effect a dismissal provided other evidence is present."