Award winning innovation helps vulnerable witnesses give evidence

An award-winning innovation developed in Leicestershire is enabling witnesses who cannot attend court to give evidence at a fraction of the cost and time using simple pay as you go broadband technology.

Nigel Chapman, District Crown Prosecutor in the Leicestershire Magistrates Court team cam up with the idea during a prosecution of an allegation of common assault inside the complainants home by a neighbour trying to collect an alleged debt. However, the victim could not attend court because he suffers from agoraphobia.

The usual special measure for this sort of circumstance is to set up an ISDN line to a location suitable to the witness. This would have cost £3000 plus VAT, but in this case would have not been appropriate regardless of cost because the witness' agoraphobia meant he could not cope with the installation in his home by strangers.

However, Nigel Chapman secured an alternative solution from a provider from nearby Lutterworth the home of other innovations including the jet engine and the first translation of the Bible. Two laptops, one in the witness' home and one at court, were connected using webcams and wireless broadband.

Following approval from the CPS Strategy and Policy Division and the court, and a successful dummy run, the trial went ahead at Leicester Magistrates Court for a cost of only £705.

Nigel said: "I honestly did not find the procedure at court at all difficult. All we needed to have in place was good quality IT equipment and the necessary special measures application. An additional benefit was that the court could see for itself where the incident was supposed to have taken place. 

"We were also supported in the endeavour by the helpfulness of our colleagues at the court. Victim Support were also on hand to support the witness and reassure the
defence that all was above board."

The defendant in this case was found not guilty, but it did mean that the court was able to hear from the complainant directly in making its decision. However, the seed had been sown for its use in further trials. In March, a witness in a robbery and homicide trial claimed they could not give evidence due to health grounds. The webcam solution was offered, and as a result, the defence accepted the witness evidence.

Then on March 28, the webcam connection was used again at Leicester Magistrates Court, enabling another vulnerable witness to give evidence. Danny Christopher was convicted of four counts of assault by beating, with the evidence in chief obtained via the web cam.

Nigel Chapman said: "This started out as finding a solution to the needs of a particular witness, but it has now been instrumental in achieving justice for other victims. We are delighted that our colleagues in the criminal justice service have taken it on board and that it looks as if it is here to stay."

Following on from its success in Leicestershire, CPS colleagues in other parts of the country have started using it. It has now been used successfully in Gwent, Cardiff, Plymouth and Oxford.

And in May 2011, its success was recognised formally within the CPS, winning the award for Innovation and Efficiency at the CPS national staff awards.