Going to
Court
This part of the website will provide
you with information on court locations, services and advice on
what to do when attending court.
Going to court as a witness or as the victim of a crime can be a
worrying experience. For many witnesses the court is an unfamiliar
environment and can be quite frightening, particularly for those
who have been called to give evidence for the first time and who do
not know what to expect.
When a crime is reported, Suffolk Constabulary appoints an officer
to investigate the matter. As part of that investigation,
statements will be taken and once evidence is available people may
be arrested and interviewed. If there is sufficient evidence the
Defendant will be charged with an offence and will have to attend
Court.
Once a person/persons has been charged a member of staff at the
Witness Care Unit (not guilty cases) or Witness Support Teams
(guilty cases) will contact you informing you of the situation. If
you are then assigned a Witness Care Officer it is then their job
to keep you updated with proceedings acting as a single point of
contact for you throughout the court process.
All cases, no matter how serious, start in the Magistrates Court.
From there, certain categories of serious crime (known as
Indicatable offences) are automatically sent to the Crown Court to
be dealt with.
There are also offences that can only be dealt with in the
Magistrates Court (known as Summary offences) and offences which
depending on their level of seriousness can be dealt with either in
the Magistrates Court or sent to the Crown Court (known as Either
Way offences). The vast majority of cases are dealt with in the
Magistrates Court.
Please note - All
visitors to both the Magistrates' Courts and Crown Court are
subject to the same security checks, and this includes both victims
and witnesses of crime. These are simply routine checks to ensure
the safety of all in the Court building.
Useful
booklets and guidance:
Click here to print off your guide to
the court process, from a witness' perspective.
This includes information on:
- Where you can find help about giving
evidence
- Where you will give evidence
- Who is in the courtroom
- What happens before and during court including
Special Measures
Click here to find out more about what
is involved in giving a statement, how it forms part of the
prosecution case and what your future involvement in the case may
be.
For a video
step-by-step guide to being a witness
click here
