Mansfield Crime Solicitor Trial Win
Mansfield crime solicitor Melanie Hoffman travelled to Chesterfield Magistrates to represent a local client facing allegations of common assault.
The allegation was serious, said to involve punches and kicks to a female complainant while she was on the ground. Further, the evidence appeared extremely strong – aside from the complainant there were four other prosecution witnesses who claimed that the assault had taken place.
Owing to the number of prosecution witnesses this was a complex and difficult case to prepare. Mel had to decide what the relevant issues were and tailor her preparation and questioning to that end.
Each witness gave a different version of events, and the questioning of these witness had to bring these inconsistencies to the fore. The purpose of this cross-examination was to show that even though there was agreement between witnesses as to an assault taking place, their evidence as a whole could not be relied upon to make the Magistrates sure of her client’s guilt.
After hearing all of the evidence in the case the Magistrates came to the conclusion that the inconsistencies between witnesses as to how the incident occurred and who was even there meant they could not be sure that an offence had even been committed.
As a result, Mel’s relieved client was found not guilty of the charge. Additionally, he was legally aided which means that her representation was free of charge to him.
This case shows the benefits of instructing an experienced trial advocate such as Mel, who is able to make an early decision about how best to approach the case and direct all preparation to that end.
Should you wish to contact Mansfield crime solicitor Melanie Hoffman, please telephone her at our Mansfield office 01623 675816 or email her here. If you wish to speak to one of our lawyers at your local office then please contact us.
