释义 |
witness summons 1. In civil proceedings, a document issued by the court under Part 34 of the Civil Procedure Rules requiring a witness to attend court to give evidence or to produce documents to the court. A witness summons was formerly known as a subpoena, a summons requiring a person to give evidence being a subpoena ad testificandum and a summons requiring him to produce documents being a subpoena duces tecum. 2. In criminal proceedings, a document served on a witness requiring him to attend court to give evidence. The procedure for applying to the magistrates’ court for the issue of a summons to witness under the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980, and to the Crown Court for a witness summons under the Criminal Procedure (Attendance of Witnesses) Act 1965, is set out in Part 28 of the Criminal Procedure Rules. |