The defendant was a man of previous good character who faced allegations of historic sexual abuse upon a family member. These allegations dating back to the early 1980s.

The police enquiry regarding this matter had begun in early 2015 at which time the defendant was represented by other solicitors. By December 2017 a decision had been made to charge on 10 counts of indecent assault upon the same victim and at this time the defendant had approached this firm for assistance in dealing with his case moving forwards.

The appointed fee earner for this case working closely with instructed counsel was able to address the case in both a robust and tenacious manner. From initial instructions to a careful and structured approach to detailing key information and identifying persons involved with the defendant and victim around the material time.

At all times dealing with the defendant in a courteous and sensitive manner given that over the years the case had taken its own toll on the mental health of the defendant. We were able to identify trace and proof a number of witnesses who proved vital to the defence dealing with evidential issues at the trial.

It is rare that in historic cases there develops an opportunity to expand beyond the defendant the evidence available to assist the defendant in trial. This was a case where that additional evidence was accessed to the point where key witnesses were able to be called for the defence by instructed counsel at trial.

Without doubt, those witnesses provided strong evidence to assist in the defence of the defendant and following a six-day trial, the jury returned not guilty verdicts on all 10 counts.

If you have been accused then speak with our Historic Sexual Offences Solicitor