You should remain standing and the court officer will ask you to take an oath (a promise on the Bible) or an affirmation (a non-religious promise) to tell the truth when giving your evidence. You will then be shown into the court room and to the witness box. Your name will be called when it is your turn to give evidence. It is imperative that you do not discuss your evidence with anyone whilst waiting.Ĭourts usually sit from 10am to 4pm, with a break between 1:15pm and 2:15pm for lunch. We appreciate that your time is valuable and that a long wait can be inconvenient, but delays sometimes cannot be avoided. Every effort will be made to ensure that you are not inconvenienced more than is necessary, however, please be prepared to wait. Witnesses are required to wait outside of the courtroom before giving evidence. Usually the prosecutor will see you before you are called to give your evidence. It will be helpful if you bring along your witness summons. The court staff will direct you to the allocated court room. If no arrangements have been made, attend at the court registry counter and ask where you should wait. The prosecutor may have arranged for you to meet at a particular part of the court. Please also contact the ODPP if you change your contact details or if you will be away from home at the date of the trial. If you feel threatened in any way by the accused or any other person, tell the prosecutor as soon as possible so that the situation can be discussed with you. We will arrange for an interpreter or for appropriate assistance throughout the case. If you have difficulty understanding or speaking English, difficulty hearing or require assistance, you should contact the ODPP. Please contact the ODPP if you wish to discuss this. In some circumstances arrangements may be made for overseas, interstate or remote witnesses to give evidence by video link. Otherwise, the ODPP will make contact with you prior to the trial to arrange an appointment to discuss your evidence and to explain the trial process. When you receive the summons you should contact the ODPP if travel and accommodation arrangements need to be made. A sheriff's officer or police officer will usually contact you to arrange the service of a witness summons, which is a legal document formally requiring your attendance in court. The Court will set the date for when the trial will commence. If your contact details change, it is important that you let us know. It is important that you complete this form and return it to us so that we can keep in touch with you and so we can ask the Court to take into account any dates you will be unavailable when setting Trial dates. If you do not advise us of dates when you know you will not be available (such as holidays), it may not be possible for us to ensure you are not inconvenienced when the trial takes place. You will also receive a form called “Witness Contact Details and Unavailability”. Information about being a witness is also available on this page. If the accused person pleads not guilty and you are required to give evidence, the ODPP will write to you advising you of your need to be a witness. If you have any questions about being a witness, please ask the prosecutor or paralegal involved with the case. The staff at the ODPP will help you understand your role as a witness and explain court procedure. The ODPP does not investigate crime - that is the role of investigating agencies such as the WA Police Force and the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC). The ODPP is the independent prosecuting authority for the State of Western Australia, responsible for the prosecution of all serious offences committed against State criminal laws.
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