If you leave the court without knowing the verdict, you’ll usually be informed by the officer in the case (OIC) or your witness care officer from the Witness Care Unit if you’re a prosecution witness. If you’re a defence witness, you can ask the defence solicitor for the outcome.

The defendant will either have been found guilty or not guilty.

Not guilty verdict: when there’s a not guilty verdict, the criminal justice process is now concluded in the eyes of the law.

Guilty verdict: once a guilty verdict has been made, the offender will be sentenced. Sometimes this takes place immediately, but often a sentencing hearing is set for days, weeks or even months later. This is to ensure the judge or magistrate has all the information they need to decide an appropriate sentence.