South Australian Numbered Acts

EVIDENCE (VULNERABLE WITNESSES) AMENDMENT ACT 2020 (NO 45 OF 2020) - SECT 7

7—Amendment of section 13—Special arrangements for protecting witnesses from embarrassment, distress etc when giving evidence

        (1)         Section 13(2)(e)—after "relative or friend" insert:

, or by a canine court companion,

        (2)         Section 13—after subsection (6) insert:

        (6a)         If a witness is accompanied by a canine court companion for the purpose of providing emotional support, the following provisions apply:

            (a)         the witness may also be accompanied by a person who will act as a handler for the dog and subsection (6) applies to the handler as if they were an accompanying person providing emotional support to the witness;

            (b)         in a criminal trial—

                  (i)         if the witness is accompanied by the dog while giving evidence before a jury—if practicable, the dog should not be visible to the jury while the witness is giving the evidence; and

                  (ii)         if practicable, the dog should not be visible in any audio visual record of the evidence.