The use of video and audio recordings provided by victims of domestic violence as evidence

Abstract

The relevance of the study lies in the urgent need to develop scientifically grounded and practically applicable criteria for the admissibility of using secret audio and video recordings made by victims in criminal proceedings regarding domestic violence. The purpose of the study is to establish whether the information contained in secret audio and video recordings made by victims can be used as evidence in criminal proceedings regarding domestic violence. The main research methods are systemic, analysis and synthesis, historical, heuristic, formal-legal methods. The issues of providing recordings by victims, witnesses, and other persons for criminal investigation purposes; general criteria for restricting the right to privacy in criminal proceedings regarding domestic violence; problems of evidence presentation by victims and applicants; issues of documenting domestic violence facts; the issue of admissibility of documentation are investigated. It is proved that aspects of the legality test for limiting the offenderʼs right to privacy in cases of conducting criminal proceedings regarding domestic violence may involve inquiries concerning the importance of evidence gathered through covert recordings and the exclusivity of the necessity of such measures. It is argued that when considering the criterion of a secret operation, which is identified as a condition for recognising audio and video recordings as inadmissible evidence, it should be acknowledged that in criminal proceedings related to domestic violence, video and audio recordings provided by victims cannot meet this condition in the vast majority of cases. The practical value of the study lies in the possibility of unifying judicial practice in determining the admissibility of evidence contained in audio and video recordings made secretly by victims in criminal proceedings regarding domestic violence