Witness

Witness is a 2020 non-fiction book by investigative journalist Louise Milligan. The book explores the ways in which victims of crime, particularly victims of sexual assault and child sexual abuse, are mistreated by the legal system when appearing as witnesses in court. The book was inspired by Milligan's own experience testifying in the trial of George Pell, an Australian cardinal accused of sexual abuse. Milligan later said in interviews that being cross-examined in Pell's trial was like being "hit by a truck" and that Pell's lawyer Robert Richter had consistently addressed her in a "sneering, sarcastic, bullying" tone. The book was shortlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize and the 2021 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction.