witness statement
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witness statement
The spoken or written account given by a witness in court or to the police about an event that they observed.
Die Zeugenaussage war entscheidend für den Ausgang des Prozesses.
The witness statement was decisive for the outcome of the trial.
The word is made up of 'Zeuge' (witness), in the form 'Zeugen', and 'Aussage' (statement). So it literally describes the statement of a witness.
Die Polizei nahm die Zeugenaussage des Nachbarn auf.
The police took the neighbor's witness statement.
In a legal context, fixed verbs are often combined with 'Zeugenaussage' (witness statement). You can 'machen' (make/give), 'ablegen' (give, formally), 'verweigern' (refuse), or 'widerrufen' (retract) a witness statement.
Der Angeklagte hofft, dass der Zeuge seine Aussage widerruft.
The defendant hopes that the witness will retract his statement.
This word is used almost exclusively in the context of the police and the justice system. The statement is made 'bei der Polizei' (to the police) or 'vor Gericht' (in court).
Seine Zeugenaussage vor Gericht war sehr detailliert.
His witness statement in court was very detailed.
report
'der Bericht' and 'die Zeugenaussage' can both describe an event. 'Bericht' is broader and can come from many people or organizations. It does not have to be created in court or by the police. 'Zeugenaussage' is much more specific: a person states as a witness what they saw or heard, usually to the police or in court. A report can collect many pieces of information; a witness statement especially shows the observation of a particular person.
Bei der Polizei hat die Nachbarin eine Zeugenaussage zum Einbruch gemacht.
At the police station, the neighbor gave a witness statement about the break-in.
Zur Vorbereitung auf den Termin liest du den Bericht über die technischen Probleme.
To prepare for the appointment, you read the report about the technical problems.