Hearsay
Hearsay is when someone says something they heard from someone else, instead of something they personally saw or experienced.
Think about playing a game of telephone with your friends. One person whispers a message in your ear, and you pass it along to the next person. By the time the message gets to the last person, it might be completely different than what was originally said!
When people talk about hearsay in legal situations, they mean that someone is reporting what another person said, without any direct evidence to back it up. For example, if someone is accused of stealing something, but the only evidence is that a guy down the street says he saw the person do it, that's hearsay. It's not considered reliable evidence, because it's not first-hand information.
Courts often have rules about what kinds of evidence are admissible, or allowed to be presented as evidence, and hearsay is usually not admissible. This helps make sure that trials are fair and based on solid evidence, rather than just rumors or secondhand information.
Think about playing a game of telephone with your friends. One person whispers a message in your ear, and you pass it along to the next person. By the time the message gets to the last person, it might be completely different than what was originally said!
When people talk about hearsay in legal situations, they mean that someone is reporting what another person said, without any direct evidence to back it up. For example, if someone is accused of stealing something, but the only evidence is that a guy down the street says he saw the person do it, that's hearsay. It's not considered reliable evidence, because it's not first-hand information.
Courts often have rules about what kinds of evidence are admissible, or allowed to be presented as evidence, and hearsay is usually not admissible. This helps make sure that trials are fair and based on solid evidence, rather than just rumors or secondhand information.
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