Wary witness
Question
I recently gave the police a statement about a crime I saw and I might have to be a witness in court. The problem is that Ive been dealing with a social phobia for a number of years and dont like leaving the house. Is there anything I can do to avoid having to go to court to give evidence?
Answer
In most cases a witness would have to go to court so that their evidence can be tested by both the prosecution and defence through the process of cross examination. There are circumstances where a witness can give evidence via video link, but this is normally restricted to children and vulnerable witnesses and, in any case, the studio is in the court building.
If the case does go to court and you are called as a witness, you may want to talk to the witness service, an independent organisation, that is attached to each court and talk your concerns through with them.
You might want to try contacting the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), or the police officer who took your statement and talk things through with them. The only way you may be able to avoid going to court, is to send a doctor's, or possibly a Community Psychiatric Nurse's (CPN) letter to the CPS outlining your medical condition stating that you would be unable to attend court as a witness.
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