Client Not Guilty of Historic Rape 50 Years Later

Case study summary

Our client was an elderly man accused of raping his sister when they were both children over 50 years ago. After a lengthy fight of 3 years, our client was found Not Guilty by a jury. Our historic sexual offences solicitors instructed a specialist barrister to secure the outcome.

Case study

Our client was a family orientated elderly gentleman sadly accused of raping and sexually assaulting his younger sister when they were both children, in Manchester, in the 60s and 70s. His wife of 40+ years along with his own children all supported him throughout the ordeal. However, the allegations caused a rift in his family which he was heartbroken about.

Due to the age of the allegations, the only real evidence was the complainant's word. The prosecution were determined to prove that no matter how old an allegation is, they will still prosecute. However, our specialist historic sexual offences solicitors worked tirelessly to ensure that our client's last chapter was not determined by these false allegations. We spoke to family members, visited the house and alleged scene, and helped our client to recall details about his childhood in order for us to have full instructions.

We then instructed a specialist barrister to present the case in court. We vigorously cross-examined the complainant and had the jury on side from the start. After a gruelling trial, the jury found our client Not Guilty by unanimous verdict in under 2 hours. Several members of the jury were particularly touched by our client's case and were emotional when passing their verdicts.

Unfortunately our client's wife was not here to see the outcome, but our client is now able to grieve her and make amends with his family. He can now get back to spending time with his grandchildren.