TIME was when prosecutions of corporate executives ended with a whimper not a bang.
The prime minister promised publicly then, and again in November 2012, that it would take place when prosecutions were over.
The quango is under-resourced and seemingly unable to carry out the in-depth investigations required when prosecutions are questioned.
And the change in rules making it harder to recover costs, even when prosecutions have been thrown out, will deter people from defending themselves.
Truth commissions have become a popular way to confront the crimes of crumbling regimes around the world, often when prosecutions are impractical or impossible.
In a unanimous ruling, five law lords backed a call by Purdy for the DPP to draw up a policy that would spell out when prosecutions would and would not be pursued.
But the novel also appeared at a moment when prosecutions for homosexuality were on the rise following a period during which gay men had enjoyed a certain amount of freedom, social taboos having eased a little during the war.
In a unanimous ruling, the law lords ordered the director of public prosecutions to immediately draw up a policy that would spell out when prosecutions would and would not be pursued.
