suffering they have endured before sentence is passed on the perpetrator.

Justice Stanley Moore, chair of the Inquiry into Serious Crime on the Island, yesterday asked Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner if he felt victims should be given more of a voice when it came to sentencing offenders.

Mr. Warner said "yes'', he felt it would serve the victims well if they could meet the offender in court and explain how they had suffered as a result of the crime.

But he said it would only work if the proper legislation were in place.

He said: "To be frank and blunt, merely thinking about it quickly, the answer is yes. However, the real difficulty is that right now there is not the statutory framework in place.'' He said at the moment the law stated that crimes were committed against the Crown, rather than the individual who has been wronged.

And he said the Crown had the right to comment on sentence, but nobody else did under the current laws.

He said any changes in statute should make it very clear what the victims can and cannot do, and at what stage they can play a role.

Mr. Moore and his fellow commissioners, former British deputy Chief Constable Don Dovaston and Bermudian lawyer Shirley Simmons, will be writing a report on their findings of the inquiry and will be making recommendations on changes and improvements that need to be made.

Commission ponders giving victims a voice Among them may be a suggestion that legislation be up-dated in many respects, including that of giving victims more of a voice.

The suggestion followed evidence given yesterday by grocery store owner Richard Powell, who lives and owns a store in Ord Road, Paget.

He was not only heavily involved in Operation Cleansweep, to help rid the area of drug-dealing gangs, but he has also suffered at the hands of robbers who have targeted his store.

He said yesterday he wanted to appear in court as a victim to explain how he had suffered before the robber was sentenced.

However, a mix up and lack of communication meant he missed the initial court hearing, and when he did finally make it to court, it was too late and he was not allowed to speak up.

He said: "We seem to have somewhat of a victimless society, where victims don't have any rights. More notice of victims should be taken and they should be given more input.

"People should be made to pay back what they steal from others. They should be made to personally apologise to their victims.

"We make children face their victims and apologise, why don't we make teenagers and adults apologise.

"It would be a very humbling experience.

"If the perpetrator of the crime is made to apologise and face the victim, they are going to go on knowing that they have to do that to all of their victims.'' MURDER MUR CRIME CRM