Going to court
In two out of three prosecutions the accused pleads guilty and normally it is not necessary for witnesses to go to court to give evidence.
When you do have to attend, however, the criminal justice agencies involved (CPS, Victim Support, police and the Court Service) will support you.
From the moment a decision is taken to prosecute and you are needed as a witness, your details are passed to a Witness Care Unit which will assign a Witness Care Officer (WCO) to your case.
This person will contact you, introduce himself/herself and discuss with you the support that can be provided before, during and after the case.
Details of this can be found in:
You are allowed to bring other people with you to give you support. If you would like someone from Victim Support to be with you while at court your WCO can arrange this too.
Victim Support is a voluntary organisation, independent from the CPS, police or courts, offering practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses. Through the WCO you can arrange to visit the court before you are due to give evidence so that you can become familiar with the interior of the court.
While we cannot give you an exact time, we will try to indicate on the day of the hearing how long you will have to wait in court before being called to give evidence.
If you would like your family or others to be in the courtroom on the day, let your WCO know beforehand. The WCO will try to ensure that seats are available for them in the public area of the courtroom.
When you get to court, if you have not already been in touch with Victim Support and arranged to meet a representative, you should go to the court reception desk and the staff will ensure you are put in touch.
If you have made a statement to police and want to see it again to refresh your memory before you give evidence you can do so.
If there is a long time before you are needed to give evidence, you can go to the public area of the court and observe a different case. This may help you to become familiar with the way the court works.
But let the court usher know where you are going, so that you can be located when your case is called.
You should not, however, sit in on the trial in which you are due to appear as a witness: when you give your evidence you should not know what other people have said. Once you have given your evidence, however, you can stay and listen to the rest of the trial.
When it is your turn to give evidence the usher will collect you from the waiting room and show you into court.
