witnesses too scared to attend

[tali122]

i heard of court cases collapsing due to prosecution witnesses too scared to attend due to intimidation- but arn't witnesses legally obliged to attend and can be forced as a hostile witness?, my friend failed to attend(due to suggestions of intimidation) as a prosecution witness at the magistrates court and was arrested!- so why is it different in serious cases in crown courts?

[almcd007]

Mainly if it's in a Crown Court it's a more serious offence more is at risk if the witness does not attend. A policeman can be despatched to find the witness. They could just turn up - and refuse to give evidence - but the risk being the subject of the judges wrath !

I was involved in a case where the witness just didn't turn up. (in the magistrates court) The prosecution could not go ahead as they had no evidence to offer and the case was dismissed.

[dancecaller]

We were called as witnesses after our car was hit in the rear. We had stated that the first we knew was the impact, the case was not even against the driver who had hit us but the one she claimed had changed lane.
When we arrived both the prosecution and the defence talked to us and decided we knew nothing.
The policeman involved with the case did not even bother to turn up.
What a waste of time for us, not to mention the bother of getting carers in for my mother-in-law.

[LittleMissxx]

what happens when its a defendant witness to scared to attend.