We aim to provide separate waiting areas for prosecution and defence witnesses in criminal courts. If this is not possible, we will arrange for you to wait apart from the other side s witnesses. Please ask in advance if this is what you want. We are not responsible for calling witnesses to court or for paying their expenses. This is the responsibility of those calling the witness, whether the case is criminal or civil.
Crown witnesses are the responsibility of the Procurator Fiscal.
We try to arrange all hearings as quickly as possible. In civil cases the target is 12 weeks from the allowance of proof. For summary criminal cases we aim to fix trials within 12 weeks if the accused person pleads not guilty. If the accused person is kept in custody pending trial, the hearing will be a lot sooner. We want to put things right if they go wrong.