2.6 Evidence to Corroborate: Contradiction and Corroboration

Corroboration — the supporting evidence (the witness's story confirmed by the independent material): the rule of practice (the serious crimes' corroboration prudence — the rape-and-perjury traditions); the statutory corroboration (the accomplice-and-child-witness rules' lore). Contradiction — the conflict's exposure: the witness's own inconsistencies (the cross- examination's yield); the contradictions between the witnesses (the case's cracks); the prior statements' contradiction (the impeachment — the earlier version's proof). The court's craft: the corroboration's weighing (the mutual-support's strength); the contradiction's resolution (the credibility's judgment); the imperfect-evidence's law (the corroboration repairing the minor flaws — the "safely acting" discipline).