Fraud Bill [HL]

I rise briefly to support what my noble friend Lord Kingsland has said. Recklessness is a very good test when criminality is in issue. Recklessness is well understood by the courts. It means not only what my noble friend has quoted from cases, but also, in a sense, a deliberate closing of the eyes to something that is important. It is a much safer basis on which to convict somebody for fraud than the fact that the person making the representation knew that what he was saying might be misleading, which is a fairly light test. When one is dealing with the criminal law, it is much better to have a clear test. I ask the noble and learned Lord the Attorney-General to think carefully about this amendment.