The Island’s Acting Attorney General says it’s for Tynwald to change the way juries are allowed to return a verdict in criminal cases.

This week in Tynwald, he faced a question from Onchan MHK Peter Karran about what plans are in place to allow juries to return majority verdicts.

John Quinn, in a written reply, said the Department of Home Affairs was considering changes in a Sentencing Bill which would be introduced next year.

But he said recent court cases had brought the issue into sharp relief.

Mr Quinn says the two hung juries in trial of his predecessor, Attorney General Stephen Harding, had created an amount of public concern and comment.

In that case, Deemster Montgomerie recorded not guilty verdicts on charges of perjury and committing acts against public justice after the prosecution said it wouldn’t seek another retrial following the jury’s inability to reach a unanimous verdict.

Mr Quinn said although there could be many reasons why juries couldn’t agree, there was a perception in high profile cases the legal system has failed.

He told Tynwald members although the law requiring unanimity from juries had served the Island well in the past, amending the law to allow majority verdicts would be up to them to decide.