witness statement
Loading your saved state.
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.
statement
Both words can refer to a specific spoken or written statement. However, a “Zeugenaussage” is specifically an account given by a witness to the police or in court, whereas “Aussage” is also used outside this witness context. Use “Zeugenaussage” when someone officially describes an event they observed.
Die Zeugenaussage vor Gericht beschrieb den Unfall genau.
The witness statement in court described the accident in detail.
Seine Aussage zum Ablauf des Abends war sehr genau.
His statement about what happened that evening was very detailed.
