After the trial the Witness Care Unit will inform you of the outcome of your case.

Appeals

People convicted by a magistrates' court can appeal to the Crown Court against their conviction and the sentence. People convicted by the Crown Court can appeal to the Court of Appeal. If these appeals are rejected they can go on to apply for permission to appeal to the House of Lords.

Before the day of the trial it is a good idea to find out as much as you can about what will happen and what is expected of you.

Your witness care officer may do a 'needs assessment' with you to see if you need special help in court. This help may range from an interpreter, to a closed circuit TV link.

Your witness care officer may also be able to arrange a visit to the court before the trial.

Magistrates' court

Most criminal cases are heard in a magistrates' court. The magistrates are usually people who live in the local community, sometimes called justices of the peace. There are usually three magistrates who are supported by a legally trained advisor. Sometimes cases are tried by one magistrate, called a district judge, who is a lawyer.

Magistrates' courts are not as formal as the Crown Court, the magistrates do not wear wigs and only the ushers (court officials who keep everything running smoothly) wear black gowns.

Once a charge has been brought the police will pass your file on to your local Witness Care Unit. They ensure that victims and witnesses are kept at the centre of the criminal justice system. The Witness Care Unit manages the care of victims and witnesses from the point of charge through to the conclusion of a case. They are staffed jointly by representatives from the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

The next stage is investigation, where the police gather evidence. The police may ask you to tour the area where the offence happened to help identify the offender. They may also ask you to look at photographs or attend an identity parade.

Police investigations can take a long time. It may be several months before you hear anything about the case.

In addition to giving a witness statement you can, if you want to, give a victim's personal statement. This allows you to include anything you have not said in your witness statement and could include the following:

This is the underlying data relating to the breakdown of CPS staff and recruitment, based on gender, age, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion, for the year 2014/15. Cumulative data for the period has also been compiled.

Workforce Diversity reports