Straw man

[webofevil]

The English ban on prosecutors talking to alleged rape victims, unknown elsewhere, is expected to disappear this year when prosecutors have been retrained. Director of public prosecutions Sir Ken MacDonald said: “This ban stems from the days when mostly private prosecutions were brought with bribed witnesses. It is the origin of the phrase ‘man of straw’: they used to stand outside court with straws in their shoes to signify their testimony could be bought.” To stop the practice, prosecutors were banned from speaking to witnesses outside the hearing itself. “In typical English fashion, this then lasted for ever.” [Guardian]