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It was a flimsy case, a weak case at best. It was really no case at all—except that a man had been killed when his car was struck by the powerful bright red automobile of a young man.

The curve in the road had been deserted at the time of the accident. The two men were the only ones there. But noise of the crash had drawn people from all directions. (Source)

Dose it mean that nothing happened? Or does it mean that as there were no witnesses to prove the young man is convict so it couldn't be investigated by court?

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  • Based on what I can infer from the context you’ve given, despite the author saying that there was really ‘no case at all’, there was actually a case. It is just so insignificant that it should not even be considered (close to nothing). That is also why the ‘case’ was described as weak and flimsy in the first sentence.
    – danielloid
    Commented Sep 3, 2018 at 14:02

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When the police, or public prosecutor, charges someone with a crime, the accused will eventually appear before a court and the prosecution will present their case (i.e., the evidence that they have collected which they believe will convince the court that the accused person is guilty). If the case is weak, then it is quite likely that the accused will not be found guilty.

Sometimes, in pre-trial hearings, the judge and/or the prosecution will simply decide that there is 'no case' to answer, i.e. that the prosecution is unable provide sufficient evidence that would result in the accused being found guilty if the case went to trial. When this happens the accused person is regarded as being innocent.

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In legal language, we say in English:

  • to have a case= a case means a legal case that will be prosecuted in a court of law. There are facts that can be deduced from the crime scene and witnesses to it, if there are any, that will show that a crime was committed.

When there is a lot of evidence, the case is strong. When there is little evidence, the case is weak.

Please note, the expression to have a case is also found in everyday language to mean: your argument for something merits attention.

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