Last year i got caught up in an armed robbery Well it really affected me for a while and has made me realise I'm not invincible! in fact its made me less outgoing than I was before..
Anyway on the way back from London on Sunday I received a call from a lovely officer from our police station to say that they had caught 2 of the offenders! and would I be willing to go to court
well the answer has to be yes otherwise what would have been the point of chasing them getting the car details down etc! all that for nothing....

However last night my ex-partner called to talk to his daughter and whilst he was talking to me i told him about the phone call,(he is an inspector in the Cheshire police)He was a bit worried about me going to court as they had only caught 2 of the men which means that 2 more are out there and as they were wearing facial disguises
I wouldn't know who they were but they saw me as i was a foot away from them at one point! and as they had used weapons they were considered armed and dangerous! he wants me to be protected in court and also before and after...I'm now more concerned especially as i have kids and live in a semi rural area!

What would any of you do in the circumstances?
Do i go and give the evidence that will quite possibly send these scum bags down for a long time or do I stay away?

Have a look at this report - and then talk to your local police:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6510667.stm

Margot

well thats made me feel a bit better
my daughters dad is doing some research into it for me and is calling me later with people i should speak to
so maybe its not going to be as bad as i thought
thankyou for your help

I think it is important that you are a witness to put them behind bars, but surely you don't have to face them in court?  Can't you have a disguise or be behind a barrier or something?  I'm sure I've seen something like this on the news recently.

As regards to them seeing your face on the day, from that would they be likely to know your name and where you live?  I would say not, so it would be very difficult for them to know your whereabouts.

Ask your ex partner if you can be a witness without your identity being disclosed.

Good luck.

I was also a witness to an armed robbery in march this year, a few weeks ago I was called to speak to the procurator fiscal and I asked if I could withdraw my statement as all the tyres on my car were slashed and then a brick was put through the window of my friends car when it was parked outside my house but PF has said no I am a critical witness and must give evidence.
The reason I don't wish to give evidence is because I know the person concerened and he has a history of mental health problems and he lives round the corner from me and I don't feel safe giving evidence in court, I asked the PF if I could get help to move house or get some kind of protection and she said no chance she also says there is  a good chance he has my name and address because it has been given to his lawyer.
Before I spoke to the PF it was my belief that you could withdraw a statement at any time.
If anyone has any suggestions or knows of a way I can avoid going to court please let me know.
Thanks,
Lin