I'd say yes if the person involved denies the charge but if they admit it I doubt it very much but I think anxiety would be taken into account....

Mr Blizz gets special tablets from the doctor, when he has to go to the dentist.

Good luck, Meaty.

Maybe a written statement would be enough, depends of the severity. I am in Scotland so our laws are slighly different. Here you can get a GP to excuse you from attending, but depending on severity of the case. Ask at your local advice centre. if you have one, or phone the court for advice, of course if they plead guilty then its over

If the criminal damage was fairly minor and the case was dealt with by magistrates rather than a criminal court I would suspect they would accept your written statement.

I had to go to court a few years back.  I was first at the scene of an accident and phoned for ambulance.  I didnt even SEE the accident happen, but, my mobile number was obviously recorded somewhere and a few days later I had a call from the police   I was required to attend court twice to give evidence of the scene at the time - turned out that there wasnt enough evidence against the driver - and I too suffer badly with anxiety and panic - it was a real trauma for me honestly , I was really pissed off that it was all for nothing in the end

You cant cross examine a statement .so yes,if a no guilty plea is entered and it goes to trial diet.

Spoke to my Dad other day and he says they won't take it to court over a scratch on a car and that they will just give her a warning... im hoping hes right though

The only time I had to go to court was to get custody of my children and I nearly fainted with fright. I agree with another poster, if it's dealt with at the Magistrate's Court, you wont need to be there.

If thats all it is, then it wont go that far, i dont think, dont worry

Phew... *breaths*