Legal evidence is material used to prove or disprove a point in a legal case. There are different types of evidence, including witness testimony, documentary evidence, demonstrative evidence, and real evidence. The evidence must be relevant and presented in its original form, with exceptions for fragile or destroyed evidence. The goal is to ensure only valid and relevant evidence is brought to court.
Legal evidence is material that can be used in the prosecution of a legal case. Evidence is brought to court for the purpose of proving or disproving a point relating to a case. There are many different types of evidence, and the legal systems in most nations have strict rules regarding the admissibility of evidence, the collection of evidence, and related matters. The goal of careful regulation of evidence is to ensure that only valid and relevant evidence is brought to court.
A classic example of forensic evidence is witness testimony, which can include direct evidence about an event that someone saw firsthand, as well as indirect evidence, such as a professional opinion. Witnesses may provide unreliable evidence because they may have imperfect memories or may have been influenced by things that occurred between the event and the trial. Lawyers are careful in how they question and interact with witnesses to ensure that the evidence provided is of the highest possible quality.
Another type of evidence is documentary evidence, including hard-copy documentation of anything related to the trial. This may include documents such as contracts, telephone bills and personal letters, as well as other written materials. Recordings in other mediums such as photography, audio and video are also forms of documentary evidence. Even this evidence can be direct, as in the case of a contract established to demonstrate the facts connected with a contractual dispute, or indirect, such as a letter that can demonstrate the character of the defendant.
Demonstrative evidence is legal evidence designed to demonstrate or illuminate some aspect of a case. It includes elements such as models, graphs, and other displays that help the jury understand the facts of the case. When cases are complex, seeing case details broken down into a model can be helpful for some jurors. For example, a computer animation might provide an overview of the crime scene events described by witnesses.
Real evidence is physical material from a crime. This type of forensic evidence includes hair and fibers, weapons and other physical items. Real evidence may be subjected to laboratory analysis as part of an investigation.
The rules of forensic evidence state that the evidence must be relevant to the case and must be presented in its original form unless there is a compelling reason not to. Copies of evidence are not allowed due to tampering issues. An exception might be a case where the evidence is too fragile or was destroyed during testing, in which case a copied version may be accepted, provided it is clearly labeled as such.
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