Court story (5)
I believe the answer is:
alibi
'court story' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for alibi that I've seen before include "Proof one was elsewhere when crime was committed" , "Defence that one was somewhere else at the time of a crime" , "Justification" , "A claim one was elsewhere when crime took place" , "Making excuse" .)