Polish Speaker has Not Guilty Verdict
Nottingham based senior Crown Court Litigator Lisa Sawyer worked successfully with counsel Vanessa Marshall from 7 Bedford Row Chambers to ensure not guilty verdicts before Nottingham Crown Court for a Polish speaker.
The Allegations
He faced allegations of serious sexual offences due for trial during the week of 10 October.
He met the complainant on a Polish chat site. After two weeks of contact, an arrangement was made for them to meet in Nottinghamshire. During that meeting it was alleged that he had sexual intercourse with her against her will.
The complainant, on returning to her address, was distressed and made an immediate complaint of sexual assault. A medical examination confirmed an injury consistent with her allegation.
Lisa’s client provided a different account to the police and to us. He maintained that as conversations on the chat site developed a relationship developed too. The chat had in part been about sex. There had been an agreement by the complainant that they could have sex.
He stated that all sexual contact was consensual, and that the complainant was upset because they had had an argument.
Requests for Disclosure
Extensive enquiries, directed by counsel and building on Lisa’s earlier enquiries, were made of the prosecution relating to the medical evidence, telephone evidence and the complainant’s background. Clarification was sought that the injuries recorded were consistent with our client’s account. A request was made that chat room conversations be put in a clear format. Additional disclosure of messaging on phones between the complainant and our client was requested. Statements gave rise to requests relating to any social services involvement. More detail was required from officers who took first complaints.
It seemed likely that the prosecution had not considered all of this material in any detail. This conclusion was supported by the fact that following the request, and upon review, the prosecution offered no evidence prior to trial. Lisa’s client had the benefit of not guilty verdicts.
The case load that Lisa deals with is almost exclusively cases like this that are complex and extremely serious in nature. If you face allegations and wish to speak to Lisa then please contact her on 0115 9599550 or email her here.
She will provide you with advice about funding and choice of advocate, whether that is in-house counsel or solicitor advocate, or from outside chambers. She will dedicate the time needed to ensure that your case is fully prepared, whether it be for sentence, trial or appeal.
Contact Us If You Are A Polish Speaker
We have a dedicated contact number for those who require a Polish speaker as first point of contact. Please call us on 07494 142 041. More information can be found here:
information-for-polish-speakers
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