Mother accused of assaulting a child - Case Dropped

Case study summary

Our client allegedly swore at a neighbour's child and pushed him off his bike following an argument between the child and her son. We highlighted the weaknesses in the case to the police and advised our client on how to approach the interview. The investigation was discontinued.

Case study

Our client was a 33-year-old mother. Her son was 8-years-old and she was expecting her second child. Following a disagreement between her son and her neighbour's child, our client was accused of swearing at the child and shoulder barging him off his pedal bike.

During a consultation with our client prior to the police interview, she denied the allegation. Our client explained that the child had been bullying her son for many weeks. On this occasion, her son had returned home visibly upset after her neighbour's child had thrown rocks at him. Our client approached the child and asked him where his parents were. She did not assault him.

At the police interview, one of our expert assault solicitors discussed the evidence with the police officer in charge of the case. The officer stated that three witness statements had been provided to the police. However, upon further questioning, the officer admitted that each statement contained a different version of events. It also became apparent that the complaint came from the child's mother rather than the child himself. We highlighted to the officer the weakness in the case.

We advised our client as to how to proceed with the interview based on this information and one week later the investigation was discontinued. Our client can now continue to enjoy her pregnancy and look forward to her new arrival without the stress of a police investigation hanging over her.