opinions in evidence Opinions of ordinary (non-expert) persons are generally irrelevant and inadmissible as evidence. Exceptions include: matters of identity; age; speed of a car; handwriting (where the witness has seen the accused person writing); proof that the witness understood a libel to refer to the plaintiff. In civil proceedings a non-expert witness may give his opinions on a ultimate issue in the form of a statement made as a way of conveying relevant facts personally perceived by him.