Allegation of taking sexual images - Police drop case

Case study summary

We represented a professional man who held a position of trust as a coach. He was accused of covertly taking sexual images of a child. Following expert advice from our specialist team, the investigation was dropped by the police saving his career and reputation.

Case study

Our client was a professional man with no previous convictions or criminal history. He worked as a coach and therefore held a position of trust. He was accused of taking photos of a child whilst they were naked and subsequently arrested for Possession/Making Indecent Images of Children contrary to s.160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and s.1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978.

He was represented by the duty solicitor in his first interview. However, due to the seriousness of the allegation and the impact this could have on his reputation, he contacted our firm seeking specialist advice. He strongly denied the allegations but had no idea about what was the best thing to do moving forward and to clear his name.

As soon as we had been instructed, we quickly obtained the notes from the previous solicitor and discussed the situation in much greater detail with our client to build as complete a picture as possible and decide on the best strategy.

We were also engaged in ongoing discussions with the police investigating team and advised our client on questions that arose whilst developments took place. The police eventually confirmed that the investigation was discontinued and the case dropped. Our client was able to move forward with his good name and reputation intact.