Appearing In Court As A Witness

[Traci66]

A few months ago I witnesses a fight, my name and address were given to the police and they came and took a statement, this morning I received a letter saying I have to appear in court as a witness for the prosecution, is there anyway I can get out of this please.

[SirOracle]

Why ???

[Traci66]

Because the lad being prosecuted is a hard nut, and as he sees me on the days I take my grandchildren to school I am a bit worried about repurcussions.

[boxtops]

Tell this to the court, then - witness intimidation should be taken seriously.

[EDDIE51]

Tell the police about your fears, they are used dealing with this situation it happens often. There are measures which can be put in place to protect you. There is no easy way out you have already given a statement which can be used anyway.

[New Judge]

Only if the defendant agrees to your statement being read to the court without you being present can your evidence be used. He obviously wants you there so that's why you've been called. You will be required to give your evidence verbally in court and will be liable to cross-examination.

If you do not attend the prosecution may ask the court to issue a witness summons. Failure to attend in response to this means you may face arrest.

As Eddie says , you should contact the police with your concerns.

[Traci66]

Thank you for your replies, from what I saw it was self defense to begin with, but then he went way over the top and beat the bloke to a pulp.

[EDDIE51]

Please contact the police , this person is going to get worse if he is allowed to get away with it.
You will find the police are very understanding and helpful, they want this man to face court and answer for his actions. You can ask to speak with a female officer if you think that will be better for you. But please contact them as soon as possible, the sooner they are aware of your concern the easier it will be to find a solution. Remember they have seen and handled this situation many times before and they are ready to help you.

[sinderella]

If he does approach you just tell him that he is very lucky to have a witness who saw that he was acting in self defence
dont mention that he went over the top.
if he says anything else remind him that you shouldnt be having this conversation and you will contact the police as they asked you to do if you feel that you were being intimidated at all

[FredPuli43]

Tell the police. They know how to deal with this. It's a brave or stupid defendant who approaches a prosecution witness. They are liable to have their bail refused,at the very least, so be in jail until trial. It may already be, or it can be made, a term of their bail that they are not to approach or contact witnesses for the prosecution.

[Traci66]

Thanks all, will contact the police in the new year.