Senior British politician Lord Greville Janner must appear in court in person to face a string of child sex abuse charges despite suffering from severe dementia, a magistrate ruled Friday. Janner, 87, did not appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, with his lawyers claiming he was too ill to attend the hearing over allegations that he had abused youngsters over a 25-year period.
His lawyers called two dementia experts who met him last month, who both gave evidence on the severity of the politician's condition. But Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle decided he should attend for a formal hearing - which might not even last two minutes - in which his name and address would be confirmed, if necessary by an aide. "Lord Janner is fit to attend," he said, even raising the rare possibility of establishing the court in the politician's home to minimise the likely distress he would suffer. He said Janner, once a top lawyer, did not have to understand the proceedings but was legally required to be present.
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