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The ordinance introduces four new procedures to enable vulnerable witnesses to give evidence free from intimidation and to allay the trauma and anxiety experienced by them when giving evidence.
The spokesman said the first procedure would enable vulnerable witnesses, with the leave of the court, to give evidence at trial in a room separate from the court room through a live television link.
This would allay their anxiety arising from giving evidence in court and child witnesses, in particular, would be spared the trauma of being close to the alleged abuser again, he said.
To spare the witness of repeating the ordeal of describing the incident, the spokesman said the vulnerable witnesses would also be able to give their account of the incident in informal surroundings when reporting the offence and a video recording of their statement could be accepted as evidence-in-chief in court.
He also noted that a third procedure would prevent child or mentally handicapped witnesses from being required to give evidence in court twice in relation to serious abuses - once at the committal proceedings and again at trial.
"Committal proceedings will not be needed when the Director of Public Prosecution issues a notice of transfer certifying that the evidence is sufficient for the accused to be committed for trial," he said.
He pointed out that in cases where it was unavoidable that a trial could not be heard without delay, or where exposure to a full trial would endanger the physical or mental health of the child and mentally handicapped witnesses, a written deposition taken by a magistrate would be admissible as evidence without further proof.
The spokesman said the rules, among other things, set out the procedure in applying for vulnerable witnesses to give evidence through a live television link, the manner in which the application was to be determined, the procedures on the notification of the decision, as well as restrictions on the persons who might accompany a vulnerable witness.
They also provided for application procedures for video recordings of testimony from vulnerable witnesses, the manner in which the application was to be determined, and the procedures on the notification of the decision, he said.
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