Helping child witnesses: 'One girl gave evidence with a hamster on her lap'
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/17/child-witnesses-one-girl-evidence-hamster They might be victims of rape, or witnesses to murder. But can they really be relied upon to tell the truth at trial? Rachel Williams Sat 17 Feb 2018 08.00 GMT Last modified on Tue 20 Feb 2018 17.23 GMT Toys in a playroom run by Triangle, an organisation that helps children give evidence. Photograph: Lydia Goldblatt for the Guardian I n the playroom, perched high above suburban rooftops, it feels as if you’re sailing in a sturdy little boat. Outside, beyond the fields, the sea is a strip of hazy grey-blue that glows silver where it meets the sky. Here on the floor is the scattered residue of a child at play: plastic tractors and fire engines spilling from a big red box, half-done puzzles, doll’s house furniture left awry. On a shelf sit the smiling knitted figures of a policeman and circuit judge, the details meticulously render