(d) a proceeding before the Civil and Administrative Tribunal in respect of
the hearing of a matter arising from the commission of a personal assault
offence that is the subject of an application to it under the
Victims Rights and Support Act 2013 , and
(e) a proceeding in relation to an
application for a child protection prohibition order or to vary or revoke any
such order.
(2) A vulnerable person who gives evidence in a proceeding to
which this section applies is entitled to choose a person whom the
vulnerable person would like to have present near him or her when giving
evidence.
(3) Without limiting a vulnerable person's right to choose such a
person, that person--
(a) may be a parent, guardian, relative, friend or
support person of the vulnerable person, and
(b) may be with the
vulnerable person as an interpreter, for the purpose of assisting the
vulnerable person with any difficulty in giving evidence associated with an
impairment or a disability, or for the purpose of providing the
vulnerable person with other support.
(4) To the extent that the court or tribunal considers
it reasonable to do so, the court or tribunal must make whatever direction is
appropriate to give effect to a vulnerable person's decision to have such a
person present near the vulnerable person, and within the vulnerable person's
sight, when the vulnerable person is giving evidence.
(5) The court or
tribunal may permit more than one support person to be present with the
vulnerable person if the court or tribunal thinks that it is in the interests
of justice to do so.
(6) This section extends to a vulnerable person who is
the accused or the defendant in the relevant proceeding.
"vulnerable person" includes, in respect of proceedings referred to in
subsection (1) (a) or (c), a person who is 16 years of age or over but under
the age of 18 years.
