Client Accused of Sexual Assault - Not guilty Verdict

Case study summary

We were instructed to represent our client after he was accused of two serious sexual assaults. Following a lengthy trial at Chester Crown Court, we secured not guilty verdicts on both counts.

Case study

Our client initially approached our firm while he was under investigation for two serious sexual offences. He explained that on two separate occasions he had been accused of sexually assaulting two different women under similar circumstances. However, on both occasions he believed that they consented to the activity.

He was later charged with these offences and we began preparation on his case for a Crown Court trial.

Throughout the preparation for this case we took detailed instructions from our client to establish the reason for his belief in consent.

We scrutinised the evidence provided by the Prosecution and found that they were attempting to use evidence that was disproportionately unfair towards our client. The evidence they sought to rely on was a single screenshot of a graph from a device which even stated the recorded information was unreliable.

No efforts had been made by police to analyse this device or to obtain the data that the screenshot it referred to. Because of this, we prepared an application for this evidence to be excluded from the trial and were successful in convincing the judge that, as evidence, it was not appropriate to be shown to a jury.

We prepared our client for court and briefed a barrister to speak on his behalf and present his case to the jury.

Our client was understandably terrified by the situation that he found himself in given that he risked an immediate and lengthy custodial sentence had he been found guilty of these offences. We supported him throughout the trial and the court procedure and attended court during the trial.

At the conclusion of the case, the jury returned Not Guilty verdicts on both counts of sexual assault. This meant that our client walked free from the court on the last day of the trial and was able to return to his life.