Direct and Circumstantial Evidence

Claim: It is raining at 0800hrs.

Evidence: You look out of the window at 0800hrs and you see that it is raining. What type of evidence is this?

• Direct

• Circumstantial

Claim: It rained at 1000hrs.

Evidence: At 0930hrs, you look out of the window and it is a sunny day. You fell asleep for one hour. When you wake up at 1030hrs, you look out of the window and see that it is not raining anymore. You note that the ground is wet.

• This is direct evidence.

• This is circumstantial evidence.

Mrs Smith baked a blueberry pie and left it on the kitchen counter to cool. She went out for an hour. When she came back, the blueberry pie was gone.

She gathered her three children - Adam, Brian and Charles. All of them said they did not eat the blueberry pie. However, Charles had bits of blueberries all across his face and mouth. Adam said that it was Charles who ate the blueberry pie.

Claim: Charles had eaten the blueberry pie.

Evidence: Charles had bits of blueberries all across his face and mouth.

• This is direct evidence.

• This is circumstantial evidence.

Mrs Smith baked a blueberry pie and left it on the kitchen counter to cool. She went out for an hour. When she came back, the blueberry pie was gone.

She gathered her three children - Adam, Brian and Charles. All of them said they did not eat the blueberry pie. However, Charles had bits of blueberries all across his face and mouth. Adam said that it was Charles who ate the blueberry pie.

Claim: Charles had eaten the blueberry pie.

Evidence: Adam took a video of Charles eating the blueberry pie all by himself.

• This is direct evidence.

• This is circumstantial evidence.

Jane's friend Florence said she saw Jane's husband, Donny, last night standing outside a pub called "Tavern".

Florence says that Donny must have been drinking at "Tavern" last night.

Claim: Donny was drinking at "Tavern" last night.

Evidence: Florence saw Donny standing outside "Tavern" last night.

• This is direct evidence.

• This is circumstantial evidence.

Jane's friend Florence said she saw Jane's husband, Donny, last night standing outside a pub called "Tavern".

Florence says that Donny saw her and invited her to drink with him at "Tavern" last night.

Claim: Donny was drinking at "Tavern" last night.

Evidence: Florence had a drink with Donny at "Tavern" last night.

• This is direct evidence.

• This is circumstantial evidence.