Witnesses

Coming to court to give evidence can be worrying. We aim to reduce your anxieties by providing comfortable accommodation and facilities, and information when you need it. When timetabling trials or civil hearings, we aim to take into account the commitments of witnesses, if we know them.

We aim to provide separate waiting areas for prosecution and defence witnesses in criminal cases. If this is not possible, we will arrange for you to wait apart from the other side's witnesses, if this is what you want.

If you attend court as a witness in a criminal case:

  • We will inform you of the progress of your case at least once every two hours
  • We will explain if the court is delayed for any reason
  • When you are no longer required to give evidence, we will ensure that you are allowed to leave as soon as possible and given an explanation of what has happened