Could someone lacking a name be put on trial?
<p>A man washes up on the shore in the middle of the night. He staggers into the nearest town, where he bumps into a woman walking home on her own - and, after a brief, confused altercation - he strangles her to death using the strap of her handbag.</p>

<p>The police are called, and the man is eventually caught and taken into custody. He does not appear to be capable of speaking any known language, and nothing on his person can be used to identify him.</p>

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<p>I am very much a layman with respect to legal matters, but my understanding is that the opening stages of any trial include rigorous procedures to establish the identities of the parties involved. <strong>Would it be possible to put the man from the scenario above on trial for murder?</strong> Or would the trial just collapse when no identity could be affixed to the perpetrator?</p>

<p>(P. S. I live in the UK myself, but I'd be delighted to hear how this situation would be handled in any legal system.)</p>

<h2>Why do you think the man is unidentifiable? He's the guy standing in the dock.</h2>

<p>While a person's name is a handy shorthand for them; it's not their identity. Many people have several names and nicknames - this guy has none: he's still this guy.</p>

criminal-law name