A senior government offical has praised the campaign launched by a schoolgirl and her mother to change identity parade laws.

Their action began after the teenage victim of a serious sex attack failed to identify her attacker drastically changed his appearance.

Charles Clarke, the Minister of State at the Home Office, speaking in the House of Commons, said: "I pay tribute to the campaign work that has been done to highlight the issue of suspects changing their appearance prior to identity parades. She assembled a petition and there has been press coverage of this important matter."

The girl's campaign was launched by the Keighley News and taken up by Keighley MP Ann Cryer, who this week raised the issue in Parliament.

Mr Clarke said new rules to prevent suspects changing their appearance at police identity parades, could be introduced in a new code of practice. He confirmed a review of identification procedures is taking place.

The girl from Keighley was assaulted in Lund Park and several weeks later attended an identity parade. But the man had changed his appearance so much that all of the men in the line-up had to wear woolly hats.

Mrs Cryer wants the new rules to require the police to take a photo or a video of a suspect at the same time they take fingerprints. "I am not blaming the police for this situation. They have to be very careful about people's civil liberties. But I do think there should be new requirements to record a person's identity upon arrest in case they later change it before an identification parade."

Mrs Cryer plans to take the girl to meet Home Office Minister Charles Clarke so she can give him a first-hand account of her problems at the parade. And she will take along a petition signed by hundreds of people calling for changes to the rules at identification parades.

Mrs Cryer said: "Perhaps we could make greater use of photos or videos on arrest to protect the likes of this girl, so that further women and girls do not have to experience such a distressing and unresolved situation."

In reply, Mr Clarke said: "The code of practice governing identification procedures is under review, so an opportunity is provided to reconsider the detailed rules." And a particular area being looked at was where a suspect dressed in such a way as to disguise a distinguishing feature.

Keighley police Supt Derek Bonnard said he would welcome a review. "We need to make sure it is up to date and as fair as possible for all the people involved," he said. He said the present rules within the Police and Criminal Evidence Act were very complicated and each situation had to be dealt with based on the circumstances of the investigation.

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