Elderly Client Not Guilty of Child Sexual Offence

Case study summary

Our client was accused of sexually assaulting his granddaughter in 2020 when she was just 7 years old. The case involved pre-recorded cross-examination of the child and complex disclosure issues. Finally, 5 years after the allegation was made, he was found not guilty by a jury.

Case study

Our client was a 68 year old, loving family man with no previous convictions. He was accused of sexually assaulting his beloved 7 year old granddaughter several years before. This case was particularly traumatising for the entire family given the nature of the allegation. Our client was his wife's carer and tried to support her through this terrible time in their lives, whilst not being able to see his other grandchildren until the case concluded.

Our client had allegedly assaulted his granddaughter whilst his wife was in the next room and their other granddaughter was downstairs. His account was consistent from start to finish - he accepted playfighting with her but strongly denied any wrongdoing. He maintained that his granddaughter had completely misread the situation.

The preparation of the case centred around the home life of the complainant, the struggles her mother faced and the chaotic lifestyle that was being led at home. It was crucial that we instructed a barrister with expertise in handling such sensitive matters and knew how to present that to the jury.

Due to the child's age, she was cross-examined prior to the trial. The trial was then adjourned several times due to the Covid lockdown and barrister strikes. As a result, our client's health deteriorated and he struggled to comprehend the situation.

When the trial finally arrived, we carefully highlighted the inconsistencies and unreliability of the child's account, in a sensitive and considered manner. The jury came back within hours to find our client not guilty.

Our client's life had been completely put on hold until the outcome of this trial. He hadn't seen his grandchildren in years and it had taken a massive toll on him and his wife, mentally and physically. He was extremely grateful for our hard work and dedication to his case.