#WITNESS STATEMENT DEFINITION HOW TO#
#WITNESS STATEMENT DEFINITION FREE#

If you get a witness summons, you have to go to court when the summons tells you to.

If you have to go to court, the court might send you a witness summons. You might still have to go to court, even if you don’t want to - it will depend on how important your evidence is to the trial. There might be things they can do to help make going to court easier. You should talk to the person who asked you to go to court and tell them how you feel.

#WITNESS STATEMENT DEFINITION HOW TO#

You can find out more about the Witness Service and how to get help.

They can give you emotional support and help you understand the court process.

#WITNESS STATEMENT DEFINITION FREE#

You can get free and confidential help from the Witness Service. If you’re worried about going to court as a witness You might be able to get extra help in court - check if you can get extra help. If you want to withdraw your statement because you’re worried about giving evidence, you should tell the police how you feel. If you withdraw your statement, the case might still go to court if the police think they have enough evidence to prosecute the suspect. Don’t feel pressured to do anything you don’t want to - you should do what feels right. The police will probably want you to give evidence in court to help settle the case. Tell the police officer in charge of the case as soon as possible.

a suspect is given bail – this means they won’t be held by the police before the trialįind help and support if you’re a victim of crime on GOV.UK.

the case doesn’t progress - for example because there’s not enough evidence.

This is because court cases can take a long time to prepare. The police will contact you if you have to go to court to give evidence - this can take some time. The police will contact you if they need your help again - for example if they want you to identify a suspect. Make sure you tell the police officer who takes your statement if there are any dates you won’t be to able go to court to give evidence - for example if you’re going on holiday. The police officer who takes your statement will give you the name and contact details of the officer in charge of the case - you can contact them at any time if you have any questions. They might also use it as evidence in court. People involved with the case - for example lawyers or the judge, will read or watch your witness statement. They’ll ask you to sign it to say it’s true. The police will ask you to explain what you saw, either in writing or on video - this is your witness statement.

Witness statement definition