Van Colles back in court over police appeal

The parents of murdered optometrist Giles Van Colle faced a fresh court ordeal this week in the House of Lords as part of their ongoing claim for compensation from Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Beginning on Monday 19, the House of Lords heard the case of Hertfordshire Constabulary who challenged the decision to pay damages to Irwin and Corinne Van Colle. The Van Colles were awarded £50,000 by the High Court in March 2006 -halved to £25,000 in April 2007 by the Court of Appeal - after it was judged that the police had done insufficient to protect Mr Van Colle from his killer, as reported in Optician on March 10 2006.