Client Not Guilty of Rape - Isleworth Crown Court

Case study summary

Our client had been charged with rape following accusations by a former partner. We were able to present compelling evidence that these were malicious allegations, and after four years of waiting for a trial, he was found Not Guilty.

Case study

Our client had been charged with 5 counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. The complainant was his ex-partner, and what made this case particularly difficult was that he had previously been convicted of controlling and coercive behaviour against her. Scared for how a jury may view him, he contacted us due to our specialist experience with sexual offences.

After review of the evidence, and consideration of his instructions, it became apparent that these were malicious allegations. At this point, we had to ask a difficult question. Do we introduce our client's previous convictions to provide motive? Following much consideration, we knew we had to. Once that decision was made, we prepared a robust defence including evidence of the complainant contacting our client's employer asking that he be fired.

Knowing that we were about to present a complicated defence, we ensured to instruct a barrister with extensive experience. As a team, we spent a significant amount of time with our client to ensure he felt comfortable enough to speak of his poor behaviour.

It was a risky defence, and one that had to carefully managed at every stage of the trial. When the time came, the jury unanimously acquitted our client of 3 counts. However, a decision could not be reached on the remaining six counts and the trial was re-listed several months later.

By the time of the second trial, we were confident that the defence we prepared was the right one. While controversial, the jury needed to hear how horrible our client had been to understand why anyone would bring such vicious false allegations against him. After supporting our client through yet another grueling trial, the jury saw the reality of the situation and acquitted him of the remaining charges.

Finally, four years on from his arrest, our client's name had been cleared and he could finally being to recover from the ordeal.