In the UK, the police warn people on arrest "You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you fail to mention during questioning something y

In the UK, the police warn people on arrest "You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you fail to mention during questioning something you later rely on in court." Which sounds quite a lot like how this is going in leftpondian areas. The idea is that if you suddenly come up with some claim in court without having mentioned it beforehand, it could be made up, but if you are sticking to the same story throughout then the court is more likely to believe you. Of course, it is absolutely the right thing to ask for a lawyer to be present during all questioning, and that is one's right. The lawyer may advise you to answer every question with "No comment", or (if the evidence is damning) to fess up.