Usually the lawyer for the person
who wants you to give evidence will contact you to tell
you when you need to come to Court. If the person does
not have a lawyer they will contact you themselves. You
should let them know if you will be unable to attend because
of other commitments such as medical treatment or holidays.
If you become ill or some other
emergency happens on the day you are supposed to be coming
to Court you should contact the person or the lawyer who
wants you to give evidence as soon as possible.
If you refuse to come to the Court
as a witness you may be served with a subpoena. This is
an order of the Court which tells someone that he or she
must come to Court on a particular date. It is an offence
to disobey a subpoena. If you do not come to Court you
may be arrested. You may also be charged with contempt.
