Summary
Our client was facing two charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault by penetration, which he firmly denied. Thanks to Partner Paul Dillon’s expertise, the prosecution ultimately offered no evidence and not guilty verdicts were entered on all counts.
Details of the Incident
The complainant and our client had reconnected over social media after many years of no contact and had agreed to meet and go to our client’s address. After meeting with our client, the complainant made a report to the police accusing our client of rape and sexual assault.
The complainant claimed that the two had been drinking, which left her feeling dizzy and not fully in control of her actions. She alleged that the two initially kissed consensually, however after this our client engaged in sexual activity without her consent despite her telling him to stop.
Our client completely denied the events as described by the complainant and denied engaging in any non-consensual sexual activity at any stage. He stated that he had explicitly asked the complainant if she’d wanted to have sexual intercourse, to which she had agreed. On three occasions, she had asked him to stop and he did so each time.
Our client was later charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration.
Our Defence
Partner Paul Dillon represented our client on this matter due to his expertise in defending clients facing complex and high-stakes accusations. Our client was understandably very distressed by these accusations, so Paul made sure to offer our client support and re-assurance throughout the proceedings.
Paul drafted a strong letter of representations to the prosecution where he asked them to review the case due to the weakness of the evidence against our client. Paul referred to the ring doorbell footage from our client’s address where the complainant did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol, undermining her account. He therefore submitted that there was insufficient evidence against our client to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.
Outcome
Given that the trial date was scheduled for nearly five years after the allegations, our client was very anxious for the case to be concluded. If our client were found guilty at trial, he would be at risk of a prison sentence potentially lasting up to 7 years.
Three weeks ahead of the scheduled trial date, the Prosecution indicated that they would be discontinuing the case against our client. At a court hearing, the prosecution formally offered no evidence against our client and not guilty verdicts were entered for all three counts.
Our client and his family were extremely relieved with this outcome and grateful to Paul for his support and expertise during such a difficult time. Without Paul’s intervention and guidance, our client may have faced a much more severe outcome.
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