Eyewitness evidence is known to be highly compelling in court
Unfortunately, it is also known to be highly unreliable
A very high proportion of wrongful convictions, discovered via DNA testing of historic evidence, have been shown to result from credible but inaccurate eyewitness testimony. (Check the Innocence Project for more detail.)
So how to earwitnesses compare to eyewitnesses?
If a witness claims ‘I heard his voice with my own ears and I am sure it is the same man!’ – should you believe them?
Check out my new paper:
Fraser, H. 2019. The reliability of voice recognition by ear witnesses: An overview of research findings. Language and Law/Linguagem E Direito, 6(2), 1–9.