Attending as a witness

Although you have already provided a statement, we would like to ask you further questions as part of the Inquiry hearings.

A member of the hearings and witness team will be available to support you on the day. You are also welcome to bring someone with you as a supporter. This person will be allowed to sit with you in the witness waiting room before your evidence is given. While you are giving evidence in the hearing room, they can stay in this room or be seated in the public area of the hearing room. 

If you have been asked to attend the Inquiry to give evidence and would like to bring someone with you, please let us know by emailing HWT@shekubayohinquiry.scot or telephoning 0131 376 7817.

When you arrive at the main entrance to Capital House, you will be met by a member of the hearings and witness team. From there, they will escort you to the Inquiry offices. You will be shown to the witness room, where you will wait until called to give evidence in the hearing room.

Tea and coffee will be available and a member of the hearings and witness team will be on hand to answer any questions you might have. 

Witnesses are seated at a U-shaped table in the middle of the hearing room with Inquiry counsel, solicitors and evidence team members. This table faces Lord Bracadale and the assessors to the Inquiry when they are present. 

There may be a variety of other people attending, including legal representatives, security staff, Inquiry staff, members of the public and members of the media.

A member of the hearings and witness team will escort you from the witness waiting room to your seat in the hearing room. 

You will be seated at a U-shaped table in the middle of the hearing room with Inquiry Counsel, solicitors and evidence team members. This table faces Lord Bracadale and the assessors to the Inquiry when they are present. Read about the role of the assessors here. 

You will have a small screen and a microphone in front of you. The screen may be used to display evidence in some circumstances, and the microphone ensures you can be heard. The microphone is set up so you can speak normally without raising your voice or leaning into it.

Elsewhere in the hearing room, there is an area to your right where legal representatives sit. To your left is the area where members of the public and media sit.  

A video showing what to expect during your visit is at the top of this page.

Your oral evidence will be recorded and broadcast via the Inquiry YouTube Channel and on the Inquiry website, where you can also watch previous hearings.

Questions to witnesses will be asked by counsel to the Inquiry, Angela Grahame QC, or the Chair, Lord Bracadale. 

Any previous statement you have given which is referred to during the hearings will be published on the Inquiry website. 

Hearings are broadcast live via the Inquiry website and its YouTube channel. 

It is very important that you attend to give evidence. If you fail to appear without reasonable excuse you may be committing a criminal offence, and that could lead to a fine, imprisonment or both. Please let us know as soon as possible via email at HWT@shekubayohinquiry.scot or by telephone on 0131 376 7817 if you cannot attend, and provide details of why it is reasonable that you should be released from your citation. 

If the reason you cannot attend is illness, please ask your GP for an urgent “soul and conscience” letter for consideration by the Chair. We may be able to take steps to accommodate your attendance, such as arranging remote video dial-in, but only in exceptional circumstances. You are expected to attend the hearing on the specified date unless you have been issued with a formal release from citation by us.
 

Contact us via email at HWT@shekubayohinquiry.scot or by telephone on 0131 376 7817 and a member of the hearings and witness team will be happy to help.

Witnesses may be able to claim for loss of earnings and/or travel expenses. The Inquiry expenses protocol provides information on how expenses can be claimed. You'll find a claim form here. 

You are welcome to bring someone with you as a supporter on the day, however this person may not be eligible for expenses. You can read the Inquiry expenses protocol here.  

If you require your supporter's expenses to be met to allow you to attend the Inquiry, please contact the Hearings and Witness Team to discuss. You can contact the team by emailing hwt@shekubayohinquiry.scot or calling 0131 376 7817.