Gwent Police to get video link for court evidence (From South Wales Argus)

Wow, the future is final here.
It's like the year 2000 all over again and this time it's happening in Newport.

What next?

Dont agree with this. A court is where evidence is heard in person not via tv.
A lot can be gained by seeing and hearing a person in the flesh.
We are going backwards to save time and money not to serve justice!

yeah i dont agree with this. as richie55 said a court is where evidence is heard in person. but alot of accusations can happen VIA video link, like people saying someone in the same room telling them what to say ect.

in 1 way its a good thing, but in another way its a bad idea.

As long as judges, prosecution and defence in the case are happy why not use a video link? This is already used for serious criminals who remain in prison during some of their court hearings, and also for child witnesses who often find the court itself frightening and intimidating.

The facility should be extended however to include members of the public who are witnesses, and who are quite often treated with utter disrespect and distain by the courts. Witnesses often have to go to court at extremely short notice, irrespective of any other commitments such as work or childcare, and can be arrested and charged with contempt if they do not comply. They also often have to travel some distance to the court and, unlike the police, are not paid for doing so. This can happen a number of times in each case as the cash cow is milked by the legal profession for all it’s worth.

As for someone ‘coaching’ a witness, that happens outside the court anyway and has done for years. In any case a witness will have provided a written account of the matter well prior to attending any court so will have already given their basic story. I can see ‘Ritchie55’s’ point of view, however it should be remembered that the main priority of many involved in the legal industry of this country is merely personal profit, not justice.