Woman allowed to wear veil during trial

Guardian News and Media/London

A Muslim woman has been told that she must remove her full-face veil when she gives evidence but can wear it at other times during her trial at Blackfriars crown court in London.

Judge Peter Murphy’s compromise ruling will set a significant precedent for how courts deal with witnesses and defendants who insist on wearing a niqab.

The 22-year-old woman from London, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, says it is against her religious beliefs to show her face in public. She pleaded not guilty to a charge of intimidation last week while wearing a veil.

The judge had warned that she would have to show her face to be properly identified. However, he backed down last Thursday and permitted her to enter the dock after she had been identified in a private room by a female police officer.

The Metropolitan police constable, who was present when the defendant was photographed following her arrest in June, then swore on oath that she was in the dock.

The woman’s barrister, Susan Meek, had argued it would breach her human rights if she had to remove her veil against her wishes during the trial.

“She is entitled to wear it in private and in public,” Meek said last week. “That right to wear the niqab also extends to the courtroom. There is no legislation in the UK in respect of the wearing of the niqab. There is no law in this country banning it.

“The jury will be able to determine her demeanour while wearing the veil. Demeanour is not just how their mouth moves, it is how their head moves, their eyes move, their hands move. That will be fully visible to the jury and no bar to her giving evidence.”

The judgment came on the day the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said that he did not believe it was “appropriate” for students to wear a full veil in the classroom or for people to go through airport security with their faces covered.

Clegg told the BBC: “I think it is very un-British to start telling people what pieces of clothing they should wear. I think there are exceptions to that as far as the full veil is concerned - security at airports, for instance. It is perfectly reasonable for us to say the full veil is clearly not appropriate there.

“And I think in the classroom, there is an issue of course about teachers being able to address their students in a way where they can address them face to face. I think it is quite difficult in the classroom to be able to do that.”