Murder suspects shouldn't be allowed bail, says Jack Straw

The move follows the case of policeman Gary Weddell, who killed his mother-in-law and then himself while awaiting trial for murdering his wife.

But civil rights campaigners voiced grave concerns, warning against 'over-politicised' and sweeping reforms in response to notorious cases.

The bail rules have been under intense scrutiny following a string of recent cases, including the murder of Gary Newlove.

He was kicked to death outside his Warrington home by a gang led by a youth who had been bailed on assault charges just hours earlier - on condition he stayed away from the Cheshire town.

The Justice Secretary, writing in his local newspaper in Blackburn, acknowledged widespread public concerns.

He said judges and magistrates exercise "great care" in weighing up whether suspects should be given bail, partly to protect the public.

"Sadly, sometimes defendants break their bail conditions, on occasions with tragic results."

Mr Straw pointed to existing legislation which stops courts giving bail to murder or rape suspects who have been convicted of the same crime before and said he was looking at a similar provision for first-time murder charges.

In 2006, 433 people were charged with murder in England and Wales. Around one in seven were acquitted.

Roger Smith, director of the civil rights campaign Justice said he was "very suspicious" of Mr Straw's proposal.

He said: "Murder is committed in a huge range of circumstances, and bail is very rare. We should trust judges to exercise their discretion. Once in a blue moon they will make a mistake, which will be tragic, but it's extremely rare."