Client Accused of Assaulting Partner - Police Drop Case

Case study summary

Our client was captured on CCTV assaulting his partner at the end of a night out. He had no memory of the event and his partner was not supporting a prosecution. By arguing strongly for our client's outstanding character, our expert lawyers persuaded the CPS to drop the case.

Case study

Our client was arrested following an incident in Derby in October 2025. Police had been called to the scene after a third party reported that he had pushed his partner to the ground. Our client had never had any previous incidents of violence or assault. He could not believe that he would have caused any harm to his long-term partner and was shocked by the allegation. He had no previous convictions and had never been in this position before.

After his arrest, our client contacted us because he needed urgent support and guidance. He had never been involved with the police before, did not know what the next stages of the investigation would be, and was struggling with the bail conditions that had been imposed on him which meant that he could not contact his partner.

From his first conversation with two of our lawyers, our client felt reassured. We explained the police process, the possible next steps, and the proactive work that could be undertaken on his behalf while the case was still at the investigation stage. This gave him much-needed comfort during an extremely stressful period.

Once instructed, we immediately contacted the officer in charge of the case and the duty solicitor who had represented our client at the police station. This allowed us to gain a full picture of what had happened up to that point and to obtain an update on the investigation. The officer confirmed that police had asked our client’s partner to provide a supporting statement, but she was refusing to support the investigation. Despite this, the officer also informed us that CCTV had been found and reviewed, which reportedly showed our client punching his partner in the back of the head.

In further conferences with our client, he reiterated that he still had no memory of the night of the incident. Although he had been drinking throughout the day, he told us that he had never lost his memory in this way before. He also repeated that the allegation was completely out of character. We learned about his impressive professional career, his past relationships, and his relationships with his children. His relationship with his partner was described as caring and devoted, with no similar incidents ever having occurred.

We decided that it was appropriate to make formal representations to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, encouraging them to take no further action. We did not dismiss the seriousness of the allegation, instead arguing that prosecution was not in the public interest and that there was not a realistic prospect of conviction due to our client’s partner’s lack of support. We also enclosed supportive character references from friends and family, including his partner’s best friend, and urged the police and Crown Prosecution Service to allow our client and his partner to move forward with their lives.

With our client’s bail date approaching, our lawyers pushed repeatedly for updates to make sure that he was not left in unnecessary uncertainty and in March 2026, we were informed that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided not to proceed with the matter. Our client was overjoyed with the result and incredibly thankful to the lawyers who had worked on his case during what he described as the toughest period of his life.