Update · UK
Why we started Every Witness
Witness support in the UK depends on which witness you are. This site maps what exists, signposts it and campaigns to close the gaps.
Courts cannot work without witnesses. Most witnesses are ordinary people who did not choose to be involved: they saw something, they were harmed by something, or they know something a court needs to hear.
What help they get depends on distinctions that make little sense from where they stand. A victim in England and Wales has rights under the Victims' Code. A bystander who saw the same events does not, and is pointed to a Witness Charter last updated in 2013. E04 E05 A prosecution witness gets a witness care officer. A defence witness is told to ask the defence lawyer. E08 A witness in a civil claim or an employment tribunal has no national support service that we have been able to find.
Every Witness does three things.
- Signposts. Our get help page lists who can support you, by nation and by kind of case.
- Maps. Our gap map sets out who gets what. Where we have not finished checking, it says so.
- Campaigns. We make five asks of governments in Westminster, Edinburgh and Belfast.
Who is behind it
Every Witness is run by Richard Ryan through Caseform AI Limited, which is developing Witness Assist and Caseform AI, both commercial products. We say that on every page, and we set out how we keep the campaign honest.
Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed and approved by Richard Ryan before publication. General information, not legal advice. Report an error.