The following initiatives are part of the government's ongoing aim to put the needs of victims and witnesses at the heart of the criminal justice system.

The Witness Charter

All witnesses need to know what services they should expect from the criminal justice agencies. The Charter gives the commitment that agencies will seek to support witnesses throughout their experience with the Criminal Justice System. The Charter also provides for an enhanced service for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. It sets out what help and support each witness can expect to receive at every stage of the process from all the agencies and lawyers involved, although the Witness Charter does not cover the role of judges and magistrates.

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Home » Victims and Witnesses

Victims and Witnesses

The criminal justice service relies heavily on the willingness of prosecution witnesses to give evidence in court and enable offenders to be brought to justice.  Without witnesses prepared to give evidence in court, all too often cases have to be abandoned, defendants avoid trial and justice is not done.

You may act as a witness in court if you are a victim of crime; have seen a crime take place; have specialist knowledge of a subject (called an expert witness) or know one of the people involved in the case (called a character witness).

Many people are unsure about what happens in a criminal case and may feel anxious about coming forward and giving evidence in court. There are a range of measures in place to support victims and witnesses in giving their best evidence.

Special measures

Special court measures help a vulnerable or intimidated witness give their evidence in the best way possible.

The main examples are:

  • a screen that prevents the accused person from seeing the witness give evidence
  • a live TV link so that the witness does not have to give evidence in the courtroom

The CPS South East Area has produced a leaflet, which explains the procedures that follow an investigation into a serious sexual offence and what support is available.

Download the CPS South East Group leaflet about serious sexual assault PDF 131 KB