VMD 511: Animal Welfare, Ethics and Jurisprudence (2+0)

VOLUNTEERING OF A STATEMENT

• It is said that a witness is not supposed to volunteer a statement in court, unless called upon to do so. This may be true in the case of a lay witness, but it cannot be so in the case of a veterinary witness. Even though a veterinary witness is called by one side to give evidence in court, he must not forget his duty towards the opposite party-of honesty and fair dealing.
• He must also remember that the judge regards him not as a veterinary advocate put forward by one side to establish the case but as an officer of justice helping the court elicit the truth. It is, therefore, the duty of a veterinary witness to state fairly all the veterinary facts bearing on the case without any reservation. Hence it is proper for him to volunteer statements and suggest questions to court, especially when he finds that there is danger of justice being miscarried owing to the court having failed to elicit any important point.