Criminal court for DV

[Queenie6655]

Hello all

I have a court case due to DV caused by my ex
The witness protection team previously said that I could attend remotely
The DC from the Met has recently said it seems likely I need to attend

Just wondering if anyone has tips to prepare for this?

I plan on reading out my victim personal statement

But the thing Is I want to only have to attend for a short time and not hang around in case I see him
I have requested a screen
Some of my family think i should just face him but i can't

Any advice would be very much appreciated

@GremlinDolphin4

Hi I have been through this recently (twice as he appealed!) and it is not a nice experience but you can do it!

Take a friend or contact a local DA charity and they will send someone to be with you and the Witness Support people are wonderful.

Apart from the ridiculous amount of plastic anti Covid screens in court, the court feels ok, the judge was welcoming, the CPS barrister was good and as usual the rage was all coming from my husband and his Rottweiler barrister who was horrible and out to trip me up and discredit me but you just have to remain calm, stick with what happened and don’t give them anymore than is in your statement.

It is a very sad situation to be in but i feel good that the truth has been believed (twice).

You can do it and there is a wave of lovely mumsnetters with you. Xxxx

but you just have to remain calm, stick with what happened and don’t give them anymore than is in your statement.

^ This

Thanks so so much

He really is a fool

Plus there are emails and he is saying please don't tell the police what I did to you
I will be sent away for years

Like wtf !!
But I am the lier and the abuser

I hope the judge has met a man like this before I really hope so

I will take deep breaths and stay calm

When they attempt to say his lies to me I will answer
That is not the case
That is incorrect

I will remember I did nothing wrong
I tried to help him
Encourage him to go on and d v programme etc
I will stick to my statement

The Judge would have worked his/her way up the system so seen and heard it all and be very experienced. He/she will also be quite savvy with body language.

You got this! Don’t worry about him and what he is going to say, you do you, you know what’s happened, hold your head high.

Yes absolutely

Even if he walks off with nothing I am hoping for a restraining order

This man is very evil
I hope no one else has fallen for his charm

The Courts are very very used to coming across highly manipulative, superficially charming domestic abusers. Don’t worry about the Judge being taken in.
Some tips for you:

1. Answer the question you’re asked. Sounds basic, but a lot of people tie themselves up in knots trying to figure out why they’re being asked something rather than just answering it.
2. If you don’t understand the question, don’t be afraid to ask for it to be explained. It’s not your fault if something isn’t put clearly, it’s the fault of the person asking you.
3. If you don’t remember something, say that you don’t remember. Don’t try to fudge your answer - it will open you up to more questions.
4. Address the Judge/jury. They’re the ones that need to see and hear you.
5. Remember the person asking you the questions is just doing their job. It’s not personal. The next week they’ll be acting for the CPS and cross-examining the abuser. It will help you stay calm if you try and remember that that are just being paid to do a job.

Good luck. From what you’ve said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he pleads guilty on the day of trial. Sometime abusers will expect that their victim will cave in and be too afraid to turn up to court. Once the witness is there, a lot of them change their plea.

Thank you
So true

If he pleads guilty on the day of the trial does that mean a lesser sentence ?

Also he tried to kill his ex partner
Can they use this against him in court too? Or is that separate ?

@Coldilox

You won’t bump into him. You will sit in the witness area, and be taken to the court room from there. It usually has a separate entrance, and defendants don’t get to go there. You will be taken into the court room once he is already in there, and taken out back to the witness room before he leaves the court room.

You should be contacted by witness care, ask them anything you are concerned about, they are generally lovely

(Police officer so lots of experience of criminal court)

As a barrister and legal professional, I can confirm this. 💐

And, if I were you, I would ask for this to be moved to Legal, where there are people who can give better advice.

Thank you lovely people

The pain of d v is bad enough without the fear of all this

So much help on here from kind people ❤️❤️❤️❤️

And what about reading my victim impact statement ?
Leave it to the cps ?

My plan was to read it out

Is he being charged with attempted murder on his ex partner, OP? He sounds awful. You had a narrow escape.

I would try to read it yourself. You'll feel stronger as a result and let's face it, if you do break down and cry, it won't be the worst thing. Could someone stand in for you if you're too upset?

I mean it wouldn't be the worst thing, for the judge and jury to see how affected you are by just being in the same room as him.

I thought people were being tried remotely now rather than being brought in from prison.

No the ex and trying to kill her is separate

He got a caution for that !!
Wtf is wrong with the world

Awful
Have a bad feeling the scum will walk free from this

I just can't see how someone can walk free in a DV case. Unless they're saying they weren't there or that you're hurting yourself deliberately out of some kind of spite, what kind of defence can they come up with?

That's a good point

He is making it seem I was abusive

I sent some messages saying he was scum for what he did to me , that he was a stupid so and so
This is what he is using saying I'm an abuser

Obvs not the case
I sent these messages after he attacked my father
I had had enough

Horrible man 😢😢

But many do seem to walk free

It seems to happen too often

Was his assault on your father reported to the police?

He sounds really terrible. No wonder you're scared of him.

It was yes

And met came along with body cameras on so got me hiding in the bathroom too

Let's hope that builds my case up

Cps requested the bodycam footage

I'm not a lawyer so can't advise but I was a victim of DV and didn't report it. I totally regret that now. You are a superhero OP. Well done and you can do this. Handhold from me and I loved the comment from a PP about an army of people being behind you. It sounds like you have an excellent case. Good luck

@Igmum thanks so much

I am sorry you went through this

I too said no way would I ever report it
Then he started to shame me in my community contacted my workplace , neighbours , my doctor !!

So I had to in order to stop the mad bast---

And thanks to everyone else

Hello all

Sorry I've few more questions

When I search online I seem to mostly find info re American d v cases

In uk does a screen in the dock just block his view of me or everyone's view of me?

Sorry for all the questions
I'm so worried now
He is an expert lier