In order for you to make an informed decision and consider your options, we want to provide you with the steps from reporting through to court.
Our ISVA service can support you throughout.
Initially, the police will want to know:
- WHO DID THIS?
- WHAT HAPPENED?
- WHERE DID IT HAPPEN?
- WHEN DID IT HAPPEN?
You may not know the answers to all the questions but any details are helpful. Your case will be assigned to a specially trained police office whose priority is your welfare. The police may then arrest the suspect and they will investigate the incident.
An officer will be assigned to the case who will be your single point of contact throughout the investigation. They will then ask you to complete an Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) video interview to recount the incident.
Once the investigation is complete, the police will send it to the Crown Prosecution Service for a changing decision. The case may then be sent to court.
If you need to give evidence in court, there are multiple special measures which can be requested in order for you to be able to give your best evidence.
Special Measures in Court
Special measures are tailored to the needs of the witness for them to be able to give their best evidence and are applied for ahead of court.
Special measures for sexual offences can include:
- Giving evidence via live video link
- Giving evidence in court from behind a screen
- Pre-recording your interview with the police which will be played in court
- Video recorded cross examination
- Giving evidence in private by having the public gallery cleared.
- The removal of wigs and gowns by judges and lawyers
- Assistance of a Registered Intermediary to further the understanding for those who have difficulty communicating.
We are here to empower you throughout your journey and our ISVA can work with you continuously from report to attending court.
