Competence & Compellability in Criminal Courts

Introduction

This webinar looks at who can be made to testify and who may be unable to testify in criminal court.

The webinar will explore who is compellable, including the defendant, co-accused and parties in a relationship with an accused.

Witnesses are presumed to be competent, but this is not always the case; the webinar examines both statute and case law to set out the basic definitions and principles.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Which witnesses can be compelled to testify in proceedings, and which cannot
• When does a defendant become compellable and for whom?
• How competency is defined
• How to challenge competency
• What to do if the competency of your witness is challenged

This webinar was recorded on 15th January 2024