Lord Justice Ward recently commented that, in his view, the Courts should expect people to lie in court and those who do 'quite rightly' escape penalties for doing so.
Commenting on a personal injury case in which covert surveillance was used to prove that the claimant had exaggerated her injuries, which were the subject of a £150,000 claim, he said, "Lies are told in litigation every day…and quite rightly do not lead to a penalty being imposed …" However, justice had the last laugh, because the claimant in the case (which was heard in the Court of Appeal) had her damages reduced to £3,500 for pain and suffering and £2,000 for loss of earnings. She was also ordered to pay the defendant's costs, leaving her considerably out of pocket.