An Internet Resource for Forensic Investigation
of Child Sexual Abuse Cases

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Copyright 1994 Anne Graffam Walker

EXAMPLES OF TESTIMONY

to accompany training by
Anne Graffam Walker, Forensic Linguist
Revised September 1995

1. For Checklist item #5: Did I use easy words instead of hard ones?

Acquisition of "before" and "after"

In this example, a young child is being questioned by a judge in a case involving contributing to the delinquency of a minor by showing obscene video material to children aged 5 to 9. The attempt was to prove through this childís testimony that the offense occurred on December 28.

  1. Q. Do you know what date this happened on?
  2. A. No.
  3. Q. Was it BEFORE Christmas, or AFTER Christmas?
  4. A. BEFORE Christmas
  5. Q. Are you sure this happened BEFORE Christmas?
  6. A. Yes
  7. Q. What holiday comes AFTER Christmas?
  8. A. I donít know.
  9. Q. What did you get for Christmas?
  10. A A Nintendo set.
  11. Q. Do you remember if you had your Nintendo on the day you watched the movie at [Mr. Jonesí] apartment?
  12. A. I played it that morning. [Which would have been Dec. 28.]
  13. Q. When did you get your Nintendo?
  14. A. Christmas.
  15. Q. Have you ever had more than one Nintendo set?
  16. A. No
  17. Q. And you got that Christmas?
  18. A. Yes
  19. Q. Well, if you did not have your Nintendo game BEFORE Christmas, [and the child is claiming that this incident happened before Christmas}, how were you able to play it on the day you were at Mr. Jonesí apartment?
  20. A. I got my Nintendo Christmas morning.
  21. Q. Listen carefully now. What number comes BEFORE the number 5?
  22. A. Six
(Page #1)
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