Alex Can a witness be subpoenaed as a hostile witness?
If the witnesses are not willing to volunteer what they saw; they can be subpoenad as “hostile” witnesses and made to testify on the stand. Or risk jail if they lie. And don’t give them time to get together and collaborate. Have them all separated. This may present a difficulty.
What should you do if you witness an assault?
According to Ross-Smith, “Doing something directly to intervene isn’t always a safe option, but there’s a whole host of things that people can do, including calling the police.” “If 30 people phoned up about the same incident, two things would happen — it would tell us very clearly that we need to get to this matter immediately.
Why are so many cases not prosecuted because there are no witnesses?
Second thing it does is that it then gives 30 witnesses, so it helps prosecute a matter. We know that a lot of cases are not prosecuted because there’s no witnesses or no witnesses that are willing to come forward.
What to do if a co-worker assaults you at work?
The law affords one a number of options for reporting a workplace assault. Fortunately, victims don’t have to choose one over the other. They can — and usually should — do more than one. File a worker’s compensation claim or a lawsuit against the co-worker and/or employer.
Can a victim of a workplace assault sue the defendant?
And if the prosecutor does bring criminal charges, a conviction is not required for the victim to sue. A victim can bring a civil lawsuit even if a jury finds the defendant “not guilty” at trial. However, it is usually in the victim’s interest to report a workplace assault to the police.
Do you have to report an assault to your employer?
No. Legally, a victim does not have to report an assault to his or her employer in order to be able to sue for damages. But it is usually a good idea. Most employers’ human resources departments take charges of assault seriously. And failure to lodge a complaint with an employer may cast doubts on the accuser’s credibility.
Why do victims of sexual abuse deny the abuse?
It is not uncommon for victims to delay reporting sexual abuse or to deny that they were abused when they are initially questioned. Reasons could include fear of the stigma associated with the abuse, embarrassment and retaliation. Victims may deny the abuse they’ve suffered, or misrepresent parts of their story.