Common complaints from child witnesses in court

By knowing the complaints from child witnesses it may be possible to avoid the same situations. Research carried out by the NSPCC and Victim Support found that:

• Child witnesses wait almost a year before their cases come to trial, making their experience drawn out and painful on some occasions.
• Half of the young witnesses said they did not understand some words and found some questions confusing.
• One in three said they had not been given information about their choices in how they could give their evidence.
• Of those who could give their evidence by television link, 39% were upset that the defendant could still watch them.
• One young witness was asked to provide their address while others were identified by their school.
• Many witnesses had not been told of the outcome of the case. Some only found out the outcome of the case through the local media.
• Courts failed to take into account the needs and concerns of some of the witnesses; including those who showed signs of anxiety such as self-harm and depression as a result of the offence and pending court case.

Download your free leaflet on CHILD WITNESSES