Today, it was a shock of my life. I had never known how military court looks like. I thought it would be a small room with chairs and table and at the end of the room will be a long table with a panel of member and a judge. And the accused I am defending will be sitting beside me or my clerk will be beside me throughout the hearing. But it is not as I imagined.
The military court, Court Marshal Centre, was just like a civil court. Furniture made of wood and there is a high table right at the end of the room for the President and Members. Then followed by a table for the secretary, tables for the lawyers or defending officers, and behind sits the public. At the sides, the witness stand and the other the trial stand.
All rise. All bow. All may be seated.
I am supposed to take my place at one of the tables just like where a lawyer in court sits. Also, I have to read out the mitigation plea to the President. Oh yah… the President is not the nation’s President but the Judge, the appointed name is President. It is a very dreadful feeling sitting in the court. Hearing the other accused being given their sentence makes me silent and soulless.
My accused had made me almost wanted to cry but I will not elaborate further. It was a sad story when I requested his case to be adjourned. My accused was waiting for this day for his trial for a month already but was shocked to hear from me that it will be adjourned. I felt sorry for him too. As his defending officer, my duty is to help him to get a lighter sentence from the jury. No matter how bad the person is, I still have to make his case sound sorry and him being remorseful. The lawyer for the bad person is always the bad person la as u all knows. We still have to do out job to get out client a lighter sentence or even not guilty from the Judge. But I am not saying my accused is the bad person. Everyone will have their own side of the story.
tata…
The military court, Court Marshal Centre, was just like a civil court. Furniture made of wood and there is a high table right at the end of the room for the President and Members. Then followed by a table for the secretary, tables for the lawyers or defending officers, and behind sits the public. At the sides, the witness stand and the other the trial stand.
All rise. All bow. All may be seated.
I am supposed to take my place at one of the tables just like where a lawyer in court sits. Also, I have to read out the mitigation plea to the President. Oh yah… the President is not the nation’s President but the Judge, the appointed name is President. It is a very dreadful feeling sitting in the court. Hearing the other accused being given their sentence makes me silent and soulless.
My accused had made me almost wanted to cry but I will not elaborate further. It was a sad story when I requested his case to be adjourned. My accused was waiting for this day for his trial for a month already but was shocked to hear from me that it will be adjourned. I felt sorry for him too. As his defending officer, my duty is to help him to get a lighter sentence from the jury. No matter how bad the person is, I still have to make his case sound sorry and him being remorseful. The lawyer for the bad person is always the bad person la as u all knows. We still have to do out job to get out client a lighter sentence or even not guilty from the Judge. But I am not saying my accused is the bad person. Everyone will have their own side of the story.
tata…
1 comments:
This is like so cool. Hmm but more like the movie i told ya starring tom cruise and jack nicholason. hehe must stay clear headed and not getting emotionally involved standing on the defendent side. but i think is so cool. =P
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