Specialist Domestic Violence Court

What is a DV Court?

A Domestic Violence Court is different from a regular Court in many ways:

• All DV cases are heard at the same Court session - in Bedford this is every Thursday morning and sometimes also the afternoon depending on the number of cases.
• Specially trained Magistrates will sit on the DV Court.
• Specially trained Crown Prosecutors will attend the DV Court.
• There are seperate waiting areas for survivors should they wish to attend Court which means that the perpetrator is unable to intimidate the survivor prior to going into the Court.
• There is a separate entrance and exit for the survivor to use for the same reasons.
• In cases where the survivor is giving evidence, this can be done via video-link or with the use of a screen in the Court.
• An officer from the Domestic Abuse Unit is in attendance throughout the DV Court.
• The Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) may also attend Court.
• Survivors are informed immediately by the Officer, IDVA or Witness Care Unit of the outcome of their case if they are not at Court.

A leaflet is available to download on the right of this page.