Q199: What do I do first when I arrive at court to give evidence as a witness?

If you have given a statement for a case, there is always the possibility that you will have to attend court as a witness. You may be called as a witness in most cases if you are the complainant or if the defence want to question you about the issues contained in your statement. All witnesses may be called to court following a statement being provided to police and may be served with a summons in certain circumstances, i.e. should police believe you will not attend, you have refused to attend or have not attended previously.

See the Related Information for support and guidance regarding attending court as a witness.

If you are a victim or witness in the case, you can:

• Contact the Officer in Case,
• Contact the force Witness Liaison Department – (the name of this department may differ from force to force) (see Q727 (Do you have contact details for all the police forces in England and Wales?)),
• Contact the court directly.

If you are a defendant, you can:

• Contact your solicitor,
• Contact the court directly.

Please see the link in Related Information to find court contact details.

Whether witnesses are called to give evidence in court varies from case to case. It depends on a variety of factors including the evidence presented and the issues in dispute between the prosecution and the defence in the case.

In the majority of cases, the Officer in the Case will be at the court. Victim Support can offer support and advice to victims of and witnesses to crime, see the websites in Related Information.

Whilst it is possible that the defendant will also be outside the court room at times, it does not follow that you must sit in the same area. Many courts have large communal areas and will announce each case over a tannoy so that if you wish, you can sit away from the defendant. Alternatively, speak to the court usher and tell them where you are going to be.

At most courts there will also be the Witness Service/Victim Support who will be able to provide a separate room for you if you do not want to sit in the communal area. It is perfectly understandable that you would not want to sit outside the court with the defendant.

Alternatively, you can contact the Officer in the Case who may be able to make alternative arrangements for you.

For more information please see the websites in Related Information.

No, if you are a witness or a complainant in a case then you do not need a solicitor. You are simply telling the court what you saw/what happened etc. The Crown Prosecution Service prosecutes the case on behalf of the police and the defendant will have a solicitor to represent him/her but you yourself do not need any legal representation.

For more information please see the websites in Related Information.