a. Identification parade

a. Identification parade

An identification parade is a process used to collect visual identification evidence in which the suspect stands among actors and the eyewitness attempts to identify the perpetrator from this lineup. The entire identification parade procedure, including the defendant's identification or non-identification and the specific circumstances surrounding it, may be introduced as evidence during the trial.

An identification parade is typically conducted when there is an expectation that visual identification evidence will be crucial in the trial and may be subject to dispute. This is especially common in cases where the suspect was not apprehended in the act and the eyewitness did not previously know the perpetrator or is unfamiliar with their appearance.

An identification parade is necessary when the degree of familiarity between the victim and the perpetrators is minimal. However, if the victim had significant interactions with the preparators and became familiar with them, an identification parade may be deemed unnecessary or even improper. In AG v Lau Chi Tin [1989] 2 HKLR 15, where the blackmailers visited the victim's premises on multiple occasions and stayed for prolonged periods each time, conducting an identification parade would be improper as it would merely be a recognition process, and the victim would inevitably identify the blackmailers.