Evidence Law

• Oral evidence


  Witness testimony given verbally in court
• Documentary evidence


  Court-presented documents as evidence
• Real evidence


  Physical objects presented in court, e.g., fingerprints
• Relevant evidence


  Evidence directly related to the charge; admissible
• Collateral evidence


  Irrelevant evidence; not directly related to the charge
• Hearsay

  Second-hand information not admissible as evidence
• Best evidence

  the most reliable version of evidence presented
• Persuasive burden of proof

  Responsibility to persuade the court, e.g., proving guilt
• Evidential burden of proof

  Presenting evidence to establish an issue for court consideration
• Standards of proof

  Levels of certainty required for proving a case, e.g., beyond reasonable doubt
• Competency of witnesses

  Witnesses' ability to provide intelligible testimony
• Admissibility of character evidence

  Generally not admissible as it's considered collateral
• Digital evidence

  Evidence from digital sources like websites, emails, and social media
• Improperly obtained evidence

  Illegally or irregularly obtained evidence, inadmissible in court
• Confessions

  admissions of guilt, important but can be falsely given
• Vulnerable witnesses

  Witnesses at risk of diminished evidence quality due to various factors
• Special measures


  Court-authorized measures to facilitate evidence from vulnerable witnesses
• Opinion evidence


  Personal opinions provided by expert witnesses