What Is The Importance Of Eyewitness In Criminal Law

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An eyewitness is a person who saw something happens, such as, a crime or accident. Eyewitness therefore plays an important role in a criminal trial. The court hence summons eyewitnesses to testify.

Eyewitnesses are people who happen to be at the scene during the commission of a crime as previously mentioned. Eyewitness may therefore have a memory of the incident. Eyewitness may as well be able to describe the details of the occurrence.

Eyewitness may testify about physical and emotional appearance of the perpetrator during criminal proceedings. This includes his clothes or shoes, or whether the person has a tattoo or scar, or whether the person is drunk or sober. Eyewitnesses may also testify about other details of the crime. However, their testimony must base on to their direct personal knowledge or observation of the incident.
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The eyewitnesses can only provide evidence from their own personal experience or observation of the incident indeed. For example, the eyewitness may testify that the accused was holding a weapon only if the witness actually saw the act itself. The witness may also testify that a person was drunk if the witness has before seen the accused getting drunk or smelled the alcohol in his breath. The eyewitnesses all the same may testify about other details of the crime as long as they have the opportunity to see and sufficient personal knowledge about the incident.

A truthful eyewitness is a valuable piece of evidence nonetheless. Statements made by eyewitnesses may be helpful in uncovering the truth about the incident. Even more so if the eyewitnesses seem to be highly confident about their recollections of events. Their testimony will have more weight and may help the court to shed some light on the crime or accident that had

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