CULT2016 Evidence and Investigation

Assessment one: (witness statement) – 1500 words.

For a statement to be admissible in court you must comply with the requirements set down in the Justices Act, the Evidence Act and the Criminal Procedure Act. Completing court statements is a practical skill which will be taught in tutorials.

TASK:

Each student will complete a witness statement based upon the ASSAULT/AFFRAY scenario outlined in tutorials.

YOU CANNOT CHOOSE YOUR OWN SCENARIO.

Pretend you are a witness to the incident and complete a statement about what you saw using the ‘statement template’ provided on vUWS. The statement MUST be done in the format provided in the ‘statement template’ (see Assessment Zone – Assessment one).

The statement will be marked out of 40. The statement should conform to the requirements of the relevant statutory authorities including the Justices Act, the Evidence Act and the Criminal Procedure Act, which will be outlined in tutorials. The statement should cover the appropriate proofs of the offence. Level of detail in statements is important. You should ensure that you describe the lead up to the assault; each Person of Interest; each person’s part in the assault(s); & any injuries in appropriate detail. 

Completing witness statements according to the ‘rules’ is a practical skill.  Advice will be given in tutorials and in the ‘Introduction to Statement Taking’ (see Assessment Zone – Assessment one) document on vUWS and the statements lecture (see Learning Zone – Learning modules – module two).

Do not feel the need to slavishly recount what occurred exactly as depicted in the video clip. You can ad lib to a certain extent, but generally give an accurate account of what occurred. The assessment is about statement construction rather than a memory test.

You are a total stranger. You do not know any of the participants, so just describe them. Do not attribute names. You cannot hear what is being said, so do not include conversation.

Ensure that your name and student number is placed on your individual statement. You do NOT need an assignment covering sheet as it is a Turnitin assignment.