Man accused of Assaulting a Bus Driver - Case Dropped

Case study summary

We represented a young entrepreneur who had been accused wrongly accused of spitting at a bus driver. He accepted that there had been an argument but denied things had become physical. We tactfully put forward his version of events and persuaded the police to drop the case.

Case study

Our client was a young man who was at the start of his career as a Forex Trader. He did not deny that he had recently had a verbal argument with a bus driver but he was shocked when the police approached him and asked him to attend a voluntary interview. It emerged that the bus driver had accused him of spitting.

He was very concerned about the impact this could have on his professional reputation, which he was working hard to build, especially if this case went to court. Therefore, he instructed our specialist criminal defence lawyers to represent him.

Prior to the interview, we were able to discuss the case with the police and examine the evidence that they had. They had obtained CCTV that confirmed the client was in the area and had exited his vehicle and walked over to a bus. He could then be seen talking to a bus driver through the driver's side window of the bus. The angle and quality of the CCTV meant that you could not see exactly what happened. The only actual evidence that the police had was the statement of the bus driver.

We worked with our client to draft a carefully worded prepared statement, detailing his version of events. This made it clear that the client had not spit at the bus driver and this was a case that would come down to one person's word against another. We also made it clear that our client's version of events was consistent with the evidence. As a result, the police accepted that they did not have enough evidence to prosecute and had no other choice but to drop the case.

Our client was very relieved that this matter would not be going any further and avoided a court case. He has been able to return to his promising career.