A witness or defendant usually stands in the witness box and swears an oath to tell the truth. The witness or defendant is asked questions by the defence, any co-defendants, the prosecution and sometimes the judge. A witness explains their version of events (this is called examination in chief), they may also be asked questions that disagree with what they have said, this is called cross examination.
First published: January 07, 2015
Last updated: May 08, 2015