For better or worse, the victims of a crime are not parties to a criminal trial in common law. The idea of a "fair trial" is solely between the crown and the a

For better or worse, the victims of a crime are not parties to a criminal trial in common law. The idea of a "fair trial" is solely between the crown and the accused. As for liberal democracies: you'll find many examples of the spies (i.e. counter-intelligence) working at cross purposes to the criminal justice system. Think MI5 vs the Met, or the NSA vs local law enforcement. The spooks are often much more interested in protecting sources and methods than they are in criminal prosecutions. That's partly why the USA has gotten so good at parallel construction.