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police statement

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
has anyone had to make one of these?

something happened a couple of weeks ago and i phoned the police. since then a policewoman has been round and i've given her a verbal account but now i have to make a statement.

im just wondering what happens?
how is this different from a verbal account?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When you make a statement it it written down and you sign it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I had to make a statement last christmas when I was burgled. The policeman just wrote down what I said about it, and then got me to sign it. Didn't have to go anywhere either, it was all done at my home.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    J wrote:
    I had a recorded tape interview the other morning for a case I've got to go to at the crown court in January some time :( My own fault. I'm mentally retarded or psychologicaly disturbed as is every single person who commits such crimes and then has to fork out for it and be punished.
    what you done now ya great puddin?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Did the policewoman write anything down when she spoke to you? When I've given statements, I've just told them what happened and then they write it down and you have to read through it and sign it.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    1andonly wrote:
    Did the policewoman write anything down when she spoke to you? When I've given statements, I've just told them what happened and then they write it down and you have to read through it and sign it.

    That's what happened when I had to give a statement.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    im just wondering what happens?
    how is this different from a verbal account?

    A full witness statement is admissible in court, should it progress that far. If the defence agree your statement, then it will be read out in court as evidence.

    A verbal account in the police pocketbook isn't admissible in court as evidence, even if signed, so if your account is of any use to an incident they are investigating they'll come back and take a full witness statement.

    If the defence don't agree the facts, and it proceeds to trial at either the Magistrates or the Crown Court, then you will be called to give evidence at the trial.

    That sounds very scary, but it really isn't. You get called to court, you come into court, and swear an oath. The prosecution advocate will ask you questions, and then the defence advocate will cross-examine you about what you've said. Most trials are in the magistrates court, and most defence advocates are just solicitors who are usually harmless enough.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When I got arrested they just taped what I said and made two copies of it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i've already given an account and the policewoman wrote that down. so basically i just need to say the same again and sign it. that sounds ok.

    thanks :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    turlough wrote:
    When I got arrested they just taped what I said and made two copies of it.
    lol i wasn't arrested. i just want someone else to be.

    what did you get arrested for?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Top tip!

    Sign it right where you finish writing. That way they can't add things afterwards.
    You get called to court, you come into court, and swear an oath.

    Or you don't, if you want to have a laugh with them. :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    what did you get arrested for?

    Making a death threat haha!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    turlough wrote:
    Making a death threat haha!
    lmao. more details please :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lipsy wrote:
    lmao. more details please :p

    Apparently the guy was some top Unionist over here and I said I was going to shoot him, they raided my house and were looking for guns and stuff like that. I missed school that day so it wasn't all bad.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah my mate got punched in a kebab shop in Loughborough the last month or so and the kebab shop men for some unknown reason recorded over the cctv so i had to give a statement, which was basically telling the polcieman what happend and her wrote it down and then give a description of the girl that attacked my friend and say yes i would be able to identify her again etc etc.

    I kind of gave a mini statemnt on the night but i was very drunked and it was all a blood filled blue, and then the polcieman turned up at my house about a week later and did the proper statement thing. Easy peasy and you just have to sign your name at the end of it, and thats abooot it really.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    klintock wrote:
    Or you don't, if you want to have a laugh with them. :D

    It depends on whether you want the defendant to get off or not, doesn't it...

    Witness summonses are our friend.

    Lipsy, yeah, just say what you said before. Make sure you don't change anything, but do add things if you remember more. Whether it gets as far as court or not I don't know, they don't normally, but that's what happens if there is a court case against the person you're complainaing about.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It depends on whether you want the defendant to get off or not, doesn't it...

    Yeah, I guess.

    What happens if the defendant doesn't swear in, btw?

    It's not like you can issue a writ of mandamus to him or anything isit?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    klintock wrote:
    What happens if the defendant doesn't swear in, btw?

    You don't have to swear on a bible or other religious text if you don't want to, an oath is enough.

    If the defendant doesn't swear in he can't take to the witness box. Only person he's shafting is himself.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If the defendant doesn't swear in he can't take to the witness box. Only person he's shafting is himself.

    That's interesting. What about those fairly common instances where he's going to be the main source of the prosecutions case and information?
  • Indrid ColdIndrid Cold Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
    I only gave a verbal one, so it wasn't practically a statement. The shop in the ground floor of my building had been broken into, and my mum saw it so she called me. She didn't call the police because she "didn't have time", so I did it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    klintock wrote:
    That's interesting. What about those fairly common instances where he's going to be the main source of the prosecutions case and information?

    He isn't, though.

    Police interviews are prosecution evidence, read out by a police officer or whoever it was who did the interview (its often RSPCA/trading standards in animal abuse cases). The defendant doesn't need to stand up, or even be at court, for that evidence to be admitted.

    So by not swearing all he's doing is not giving himself a chance to put his side of the story. His choice, I guess.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So, what you are saying is that if you were done by a speed camera and refused to swear in and give evidence against yourself (or whoever was driving at the time) that would be the end of it? :shocking:

    Yeah, right. If only courts ever actually presumed anyone innocent.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    turlough wrote:
    When I got arrested

    Criminal. :no:

    We don't want your sort on these boards.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    klintock wrote:
    So, what you are saying is that if you were done by a speed camera and refused to swear in and give evidence against yourself (or whoever was driving at the time) that would be the end of it? :shocking:

    The prosecution would have to show you were driving to convict you. Quite often they can. It's a tough one to pull off, bearing in mind you'd have to know what you were doing, as speeding offences don't entitle you to legal aid solicitor support.

    An employee of ManYoo got away with it, because they refused to declare who was driving the company car at the time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's a tough one to pull off, bearing in mind you'd have to know what you were doing, as speeding offences don't entitle you to legal aid solicitor support.

    Well, a solicitor etc have to uphold the court, not work out ways to get around it, as we have said before. By the way, if a person is presumed innocent, are they presumed innocent of every element of the alleged crime?

    Would that include jurisdiction?

    Who has the burden of proof again?

    etc etc

    You don't need to know that much anyway, as under ECHR (article 6)you have to be fully informed of what's going on. This means that if you don't get your questions answered.........

    Refusing to do anything is a recipe for disaster with bullies, of course. Probably questions would be the way to go about it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just make sure your statements match up really really well, lol.
    :yes:
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