Witnesses

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a court case, you will probably need witnesses to support your case.

Role

The role of witnesses is to report to the court everything they know about an event. 

Witnesses who are also victims of the crime concerned can also:

• explain to the court the effect of the crime on their lives;
• inform the court of the harm suffered (material damage, physical or mental injury, stress, financial losses, etc.);
• mention the effect of the crime on their relationships with other people.

To perform their role, witnesses must answer the questions asked by the prosecution and the defence.