Help the community and expand your practice! Find out how.
Already registered? Login here.
Question Details: I am involved as a witness in an assault and battery case in Ireland from over a year ago. I am now back in New Zealand. Is there any way I can participate in the trial without having to go back to Ireland?
Filed under Litigation | 1788 View(s)
Community Law Wellington & Hutt Valley
It's possible that you may, with permission of the Court, be able to give evidence via video link.
This is a NZ website and we are NZ lawyers, so we can't really advise you, because the answer to your question is covered by Irish rules of court procedure. But we have had a look around and found some places that you might be able to find out the answer.
We have found that section 29 of the Irish Criminal Evidence Act 1992 says that: "... in any criminal proceedings a person other than the accused who is outside the State may, with the leave of the court, give evidence through a live television link".
For more information about giving evidence by video link, have a look at the Irish Citizens Information Board website at www.citizensinformation.ie. You might wish to contact them directly for further information.
For more detailed information about your specific case, you should contact An Garda Siochana, the Irish National Police Service. Their website is www.garda.ie. They have a station directory at www.garda.ie where you can find contact details for the station in the area in which the criminal offending took place.
You might also wish to contact the Irish Court Service to find out more about your case. Their website is www.courts.ie.
Finally, for further information, the Irish Crime Vicitms Helpline might be helpful to you. You can find out more information about that service at www.crimevictimshelpline.ie.
Answered 15 Jul 2012. The IMPORTANT NOTICE below is part of this answer.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
The answer provided above is intended for general informational purposes only and cannot be
considered a substitute for face-to-face legal advice. It should not be relied upon as the sole
basis for taking action in relation to a legal issue. Laws change frequently, and small
variations in the facts, or a fact not provided in the question, can often change a legal
outcome or a lawyer’s conclusion. No liability whatsoever is accepted by the authors or
publishers of the answer, for loss, damage or inconvenience arising in any way from the use of
this site. While each answer has been published by a lawyer with a practising certificate, that
person may not necessarily have experience in the particular area of law involved.
For more information about this website, please review our
Terms of Use.