Double jeopardy is a procedural defense that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same, or similar charges following a legitimate acquittal or conviction. In common law countries, a defendant may enter a peremptory plea of autrefois acquit or autrefois convict (autrefois means “previously” in French), meaning the defendant has been acquitted or convicted of the same offense – Wikipedia The legal fraternity who follow BU should be very interested in the outcome of the Stephen Lawrence Murder Case recently settled. A pertinent quote from the case report: “Under the new system, a suspect can be tried again for the same offence if there is “new, compelling, reliable and substantial evidence”, which had not been previously available. As an additional safeguard, the Court of Appeal must decide if a retrial can go ahead and will then formally quash any previous acquittals.” Related Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8982608/Stephen-Lawrence-murder-change-in-double-jeopardy-law-allowed-Gary-Dobson-prosecution.html