Jargon buster

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Verdict

This is the decision reached at the end of a trial. There are three verdicts in Scotland: guilty; not guilty; and not proven. Guilty means that the accused was found to have committed the crime(s) and not guilty means that the accused was not found to have committed the crime(s). Not proven has the same result as ‘not guilty’ which means the accused is acquitted and cleared of the offence.

Victim

This is someone who has been directly affected by the crime committed. Before a criminal case has been proved in court, a person can be referred to as an 'alleged' victim.  

Victim statement

This is written by victims of crime telling the judge how the offence has affected them – physically, emotionally and financially. The court must when sentencing have regard to any victim statement which has been put before it, to the extent that it considers the information in the statement to be relevant to the offence.