How Bystanders and Witnesses Can Make or Break an Assault Case

Bystanders and witnesses can have a strong influence on a case for one side or the other. In today’s blog article, we are going to look at the complexities of having multiple bystanders and/or witnesses to a crime.

How Witnesses Can Help

One compelling witness telling the story your side hopes to hear is gold. Multiple witnesses telling the same story is even better.

Witnesses can corroborate other evidence, identify different parties, and by telling what they saw, they can contradict, for example, claims of self-defence or provocation.

How Witnesses Can Hurt

On the other hand, witnesses can also hurt. If multiple witnesses tell conflicting accounts of what happened, that’s a problem. If the same witness changes his or her story between the time he/she is interviewed and taped and then later in court, that’s a problem. If witnesses have an obvious bias or axe to grind, that’s a problem. If a witness has poor character and does not sound believable, that’s a problem.

In general, in criminal cases, given the choice, lawyers would prefer evidence that is black and white, such as a paper trail, or a video that captures what happens, or a smoking gun, exactly because witnesses can be so problematic. Nonetheless, witnesses can and do play important roles at trial.

If you have been charged with a crime, please contact Gagan Nahal for a free consultation in Vancouver at (604) 527-4769 as soon as possible. Mr. Nahal’s law practice focuses on criminal defence law, and he has extensive experience in this area of the law.

Gagan Nahal is a criminal defence lawyer based in Surrey, British Columbia, although he has represented clients across Canada. He works vigorously and tirelessly defending his clients.

If you have any questions about this article or you would like to talk to Mr. Nahal, please call him directly at (604) 527-4769.