ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Corroboration in Scots law

Have you ever played a game of "telephone" where you whisper something to your friend and they whisper it to another friend, and so on? Sometimes, the message gets distorted and may not be entirely accurate. This is why it's important to have more than one person confirm what was said or happened, especially in important situations like a court case.

In Scots law, corroboration means that there needs to be more than one piece of evidence that supports the same story or fact. For example, if someone is accused of stealing something, there could be multiple pieces of evidence that support the accusation, such as witness testimony, video footage, and fingerprints.

Having multiple pieces of evidence that support the same story is important because it makes it more likely that the story is true. It's like having more than one friend confirm the message in the game of telephone, making it less likely that the message has been distorted.

Without corroboration, it's possible for someone to be unfairly accused or convicted based on one person's word or one piece of evidence that may not be entirely accurate. Corroboration helps ensure that justice is served and that a fair outcome is reached.