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  • UK Legal Questions

    Okay.. so it appears I have been dragged into some legal business in the UK.

    Stuff happened on my flight from Sydney to the UK, a guy was arrested, and I had to make a witness statement. After this, I went home to Denmark, but it is likely I have to return to the UK within 2 months time to appear in court in a case against this guy.

    I was told this guy won't leave the UK until the case is over with- does this mean he'll be in costudy or an actual prison? Just out of curiosity.

    Secondly, when I go to the UK, flights and hotels will be paid for by the court/police/whatever... does anyone know how the entire process is though? The case isn't too complicated and the guy already confessed to what he was charged with (somewhat), so how long do you think it takes and can anyone share experiences (if something similar has happened to yourself or someone you know)? Of course, it depends on what kind of case this is, but I'm not prepared to write all of this on a public forum...

    Thanks in advance!


  • #2
    Firstly can I advise you not to talk about the subject matter of the case on a public forum, there is a law called subjudice which means that any potential witnesses or jurors could be influenced if the case is discussed in the public domain.

    I have no idea how the process works with regard to compensation but if the guy is banned from leaving the UK then I imagine he has been bailed and a condition of the bail is that he surrenders his passport, I doubt he will be in prison unless what he did represents a risk to the public.


    Matt
    http://matthew-taylor.fotopic.net/ for my personal gallery.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by 2C67
      Firstly can I advise you not to talk about the subject matter of the case on a public forum, there is a law called subjudice which means that any potential witnesses or jurors could be influenced if the case is discussed in the public domain.

      I have no idea how the process works with regard to compensation but if the guy is banned from leaving the UK then I imagine he has been bailed and a condition of the bail is that he surrenders his passport, I doubt he will be in prison unless what he did represents a risk to the public.


      Matt
      Thanks, Matt!

      Is this thread ok, so far? Or would you recommend that I delete it?

      I appreciate your help

      Comment


      • #4
        I think what you have posted so far is ok, it's not to much detail so I can't see a problem there. As far as I know you will have the initial outlay for the costs, you then submit your receipts for your expenses to the court and they will re-imburse you. If it is a cut & dry case it could be all done in a day. I don't speak from experience but from people that I know who have done this sort of thing.

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        • #5
          Have you tried contacting the court where you are expected to travel to and asking them?
          Try a Google like a county name + law.
          Wallace

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          • #6
            Originally posted by mrk25
            I think what you have posted so far is ok, it's not to much detail so I can't see a problem there. As far as I know you will have the initial outlay for the costs, you then submit your receipts for your expenses to the court and they will re-imburse you. If it is a cut & dry case it could be all done in a day. I don't speak from experience but from people that I know who have done this sort of thing.
            Thanks. I was told by the police that flights and hotels will be paid for before I go. Otherwise, I won't be able to go at all, I think.

            Originally posted by wwshack
            Have you tried contacting the court where you are expected to travel to and asking them?
            Try a Google like a county name + law.
            Unfortunately, I have no idea what court I'm going to yet, and I won't know until the policeman in charge of this case gets back to work on thursday. He'll e-mail me, and if my questions haven't been answered before then, I'll ask him.

            Thanks for your replies.

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            • #7
              Unless the guy actually caused damages to me or people I know/had some kind of relations with, I personally would have told them I was asleep/spaced out and didn't see/remember anything. I generally wouldn't want to testify or get involved in a criminal case that didn't involve myself directly. You never really know who you are messing with, and IMO it's just better to stay out unless they actually did something to you.

              It's obviously too late for that for you, so if you go, do they give you a certain allotment for flight, hotel, food, etc, or do they just pay whatever it cost you? If they pay for everything no matter what, I'd splurge on everything (first class flight, nice meals, etc) since they are forcing you to go there. I personally wouldn't be too happy about having to travel and messing up my schedule because someone "needs" me for a case, so I'd deffinetly try to take advantage of the fact they are paying if I was forced.

              No real legal advice, just opinion.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                Unless the guy actually caused damages to me or people I know/had some kind of relations with, I personally would have told them I was asleep/spaced out and didn't see/remember anything. I generally wouldn't want to testify or get involved in a criminal case that didn't involve myself directly. You never really know who you are messing with, and IMO it's just better to stay out unless they actually did something to you.
                The day somebody does something to you, you'll find yourself hoping the witnesses don't take your advice.


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                • #9
                  Originally posted by kukkudrill
                  The day somebody does something to you, you'll find yourself hoping the witnesses don't take your advice.
                  Meh, I just don't want to end up like this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schuster

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                    Unless the guy actually caused damages to me or people I know/had some kind of relations with, I personally would have told them I was asleep/spaced out and didn't see/remember anything. I generally wouldn't want to testify or get involved in a criminal case that didn't involve myself directly. You never really know who you are messing with, and IMO it's just better to stay out unless they actually did something to you.

                    It's obviously too late for that for you, so if you go, do they give you a certain allotment for flight, hotel, food, etc, or do they just pay whatever it cost you? If they pay for everything no matter what, I'd splurge on everything (first class flight, nice meals, etc) since they are forcing you to go there. I personally wouldn't be too happy about having to travel and messing up my schedule because someone "needs" me for a case, so I'd deffinetly try to take advantage of the fact they are paying if I was forced.

                    No real legal advice, just opinion.
                    I'm the victim... and they need me as a prosecution witness... and trust me, this guy deserved to get reported.

                    I don't think I'll get the chance to splash out either as the tickets and hotels will be booked by them- but chances of BA upgrading me are pretty big. I love this airline for all they have done to me. They've been a huge support through all this, and they just keep giving, even though they had nothing to do with this mess...

                    Originally posted by kukkudrill
                    The day somebody does something to you, you'll find yourself hoping the witnesses don't take your advice.
                    Exactly...

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by janni-chan
                      I'm the victim... and they need me as a prosecution witness... and trust me, this guy deserved to get reported.

                      I don't think I'll get the chance to splash out either as the tickets and hotels will be booked by them- but chances of BA upgrading me are pretty big. I love this airline for all they have done to me. They've been a huge support through all this, and they just keep giving, even though they had nothing to do with this mess...



                      Exactly...
                      Well, yeah if he actually did something to you, I'd go after him too. But I was just saying for a situation where you were just a witness and not a victim.

                      I know it's not a popular opinion, but after some of the stories I've heard if just believe it's best not to get involved unless you have no choice.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Airbus_A320
                        Well, yeah if he actually did something to you, I'd go after him too. But I was just saying for a situation where you were just a witness and not a victim.

                        I know it's not a popular opinion, but after some of the stories I've heard if just believe it's best not to get involved unless you have no choice.
                        Don't worry, I can see where you're coming from, and I understand.

                        It just sucks a bit to be in a position as a victim when the witnesses do make a run for it- this hasn't been the case here (I think ), but... yeah.

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