It is essential that witnesses who had been called to attend court should do so. The public have a duty to co-operate with the courts. The appellant was called to be a witness in a murder trial. A witness summons had been served, but he did not attend.
Held: He had claimed to be afraid, but had retracted parts of his statement. The judge in this case had dealt with the appellant fairly, and there was no bias. The sentence of the maximim of three months’ imprisonment for contempt was appropriate given the deliberate act and the consequences.
Judges:
Rose LJ, Grigson Beatson JJ
Citations:
Times 12-May-2003
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Criminal Sentencing, Contempt of Court
Updated: 05 May 2022; Ref: scu.182136
