You may have a lot of questions about what to expect as a witness in a case. The relevant COPFS booklets listed in this page will be sent to you if you are cited to be a witness, but you can read them now by clicking on the links below. We hope they help answer some of your questions, for example about what to bring to court, what will happen when you get there and what expenses you can claim and how.
If you are eligible for the Victim Information and Advice (VIA) service you will also be sent leaflets which give more information about the various aspects of the court process.
If you require further assistance or advice, please contact:
COPFS Enquiry Point
Telephone: 01389 739557
Please note that COPFS' number is changing from the start of October 2017 to 0300 020 3000.
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Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Information about the court process
Guidance for Witnesses ▼
Guidance for Witnesses
Being a Witnesses booklet:
Being a Witness - High Court leaflet- Being a Witness - Sheriff and Jury Court leaflet
- Being a Witness - Sheriff Court
- Being a Witness in the Justice of the Peace Court
Guidance booklet for Expert Witnesses
Summary Trials leaflet and translated versions ▼
- Information about Summary Trials - English June 15
- Information about Summary Trials - Bengali June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Cantonese Jan 15
- Information about Summary trials - Latvian June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Lithuanian June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Mandarin June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Nepalese June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Polish Jan 15
- Information about Summary trials - Portuguese June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Punjabi Jan 15
- Information about Summary trials - Romanian June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Russian Jan 15
- Information about Summary trials - Slovakian June 15
- Information about Summary trials - Turkish Jan 15
- Information about Summary trials - Urdu Jan 15
Petition procedure leaflet and translated versions ▼
- Information about the Petition Procedure - English June 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure - Bosnian June 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure - German June 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure - Italian June 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure - Mandarin Jan 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure - Polish June 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure - Pushtu Jan 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure - Slovakian Jan 15
- Information about the Petition Procedure Spanish June 15
Sheriff and Jury procedure leaflet and translated versions ▼
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Albanian June 2015
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Bengali June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Cantonese June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Czechoslovakian Jan 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Estonian June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - German June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Kurdish Jan 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Lithuanian June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Polish June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Portuguese June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Punjabi Jan 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Romanian June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Russian June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Somali Jan 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Urdu Jan 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials - Spanish June 15
- Information about Sheriff and Jury trials -Turkish June 15
High Court procedure leaflet and translated versions ▼
Sentences leaflet and translated versions ▼
- Information about Sentences June 15
- Information about Sentences -Bengali Jan 15
- Information about Sentences - Kurdish Jan 15
- Information about Sentences - Lithuanian June 15
- Information about Sentences - Mandarin June 15
- Information about Sentences - Polish June 15
- Information about Sentences - Russian June 15
- Information about Sentences - Turkish June 15
Appeals leaflet and translated versions ▼
Giving your Statement (Precognition) leaflet and translated versions ▼
Information about your legal rights as a Witness
Victims and Witnesses - Access to Information Protocol
The Victims and Witnesses (
The central objective of the Victim and Witnesses (
Access to Information Protocol – July 2015
Access to Information Protocol - easy read version
Access to Information Protocol - COPFS Application Form – July 2015
Access to Information Protoccol - Scottish Court Service Request Form
Victims and Witnesses Bill
COPFS welcomes the opportunity to provide a response to the consultation paper on the Victims and Witnesses Bill. This Bill represents the commitment of the Scottish Government to improve the experience of victims and witnesses, a commitment which is shared by COPFS.
Victims and Witnesses Bill - Consultation Paper - COPFS Response
Our Commitments to Victims and Prosecution Witnesses
Our Commitment to Victims and Witnesses booklet an translated versions ▼
- Our Commitments to Victims and Prosecution Witnesses - Information Booklet
- Arabic - Our Commitment to Victims and Witnesses - Arabic تحدد هذه النشرة إلتزامنا نحوك بصفتك ضحية أو بصفتك شاهد للادعاء العام. وبأمكانك أن تطلع على المزيد في نشرة المعلومات "إلتزامنا نحو الضحايا وشهود الادعاء العام – نشرة معلومات.
- Farsi - Our Commitment to Victims and Witnesses - Farsi. در این بروشور، تعهدات ما در قبال شما به عنوان قربانی یا شاهد برای تعقیب کیفری تدوین شده است
- French - Our Commitment to Victims and Witnesses - French. Ce dépliant présente nos engagements envers vous en tant que victime ou témoin pour la partie civile. Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez consulter le dépliant : “Our Commitments to Victims and Prosecution Witnesses” (Notre engagement envers les victime
- Gaelic - Our Commitment to Victims and Witnesses - Gaelic. Tha am bileag seo a' cur an cèill ar dleastanais ribh mar neach-fuiling neo neach-fianaise-cùirte. Gheibh sibh tuilleadh fios o "Ar Dleastanais ri Luchd-Fuiling agus Luchd-Fianaise-Cùirte - Leabhran Fiosrachaidh
- Polish - Our Commitment to Victims and Witnesses - Polish. Niniejsza ulotka ma na celu opisanie naszych zobowiązań wobec ofiar przestępstw i świadków oskarżenia. Dodatkowe informacje można znaleźć w broszurze "Nasze zobowiązania wobec ofiar przestępstw i świadków oskarżenia - Broszura Informacyjna
- Russian - Our Commitment to Victims and Witnesses - Russian. В этом буклете изложены наши обязательства по отношению к вам в качестве потерпевшего или свидетеля обвинения. Более подробная информация содержится в брошюре "Наши обязательства по отношению к потерпевшим и свидетелям обвинения - Информационная брошюра
How Can We Help You leaflet and translated versions s ▼
- How We Can Help You - June 15
- How we can help you - Albanian June 15
- How can we help you - Arabic Jan 15
- How we can help you - Bengali June 15
- How can we help you - Bosnian June 15
- How we can help you - Cantonese Jan 15
- How we can help you - Czechoslovakian June 15
- How can we help you - Farsi Jan 15
- How we can help you - French Jan 15
- How we can help you - German Jan 15
- How we can help you - Hindi Jan 15
- How we can help you - Hungarian June 15
- How we can help you - Italian June 15
- How we can help you - Kurdish Jan 15
- How we can help you - Latvian June 15
- How we can help you - Lithuanian June 15
- How we can help you - Mandarin Jan 15
- How we can help you- Nepalese June 15
- How we can help you - Polish June 15
- How we can help you - Portuguese June 15
- How we can help you - Punjabi Jan 15
- How can we help you -Pushtu Jan 15
- How we can help you - Romanian June 15
- How can we help you - Russian Jan 15
- How we can help you - Slovakian June 15
- How we can help you - Spanish Jan 15
- How we can help you - Turkish June 15
- How we can help you - Ukrainian June 15
People with Learning Disability
People with Learning Disabilities and the Scottish Criminal Justice System
You may find the following "Easy Read" versions of the above booklet helpful:
Prosecution Policy and Guidance
The Prosecution Policy and Guidance section offers a range of resources in relation to the policy of COPFS on the prosecution procedure. It is divided into six distinct subject areas:
Scottish Government Witnesses booklets and leaflets with translated versions
- Being a Witness - Going to Court - A booklet for adult witnesses in criminal and children's hearing court proceedings
- Being a Witness - the Use of Special Measures booklet - A booklet for adult witnesses in criminal and children's hearing court proceedings
- Being a witness: An information booklet for young people in Criminal Proceedings
- Being a witness: Helping people with learning disabilities who go to court: A guide for carers -A guide for carers, intended to help them support someone they care for with a learning disability, if that person is asked to be a witness and needs to go to court
- Being a Witness: I am a Witness in Court: A Guide for People with Learning Disabilities - A guide for people with learning disabilities who have been asked to be a witness in court
- Being a Witness: A Booklet for Children in Criminal Proceedings
- Your child is a witness: a booklet for parents and carers
- Information for Bereaved Families and Friends Following Murder or Culpable Homicide
Additional Scottish Government resources:
Information on other publications which you might find helpful is available on the Scottish Government Support after a crime is reported page, and their After a crime: your rights page.
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