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10 Jun 2022

Do you need to know a bit more about sexual offences in the UK? Have you recently been accused of one?

At ABV Solicitors, our sexual offence solicitor is always on hand to help those accused of sexual assault to seek justice for false accusations or have their side of the story told to reduce sentences.

In this article, our sexual offence solicitor aims to introduce you to sexual assault law in the UK, and hopefully, this will answer some questions that you may have. So, read on to learn more.

What is sexual assault?

According to our sexual offence solicitor, one of the most common misconceptions relating

to sexual assault is simply its definition.

However, in simple terms, sexual assault pertains to things like upskirting, sexual contact, rape, grooming and some forms of pornography, such as child pornography.

Consent is usually going to be the key aim of any prosecution for sexual offences. They will seek to highlight that the victim did not agree to these actions or that they were unable to give consent due to their age or mental state.

However, our team will aim to highlight your side of the story to have any charges dropped and any sentences reduced.

Being arrested for sexual offences

When you are arrested for sexual offences of this nature, be aware that the investigation will be extensive.

You will usually be invited for a voluntary interview at the police station once the allegation has been made. At this stage, you need to call our team to represent you. We will know what to say to the police and will be able to provide you with the correct wording and information. Do not attempt to answer these questions by yourself, as they may be held against you later.

Being investigated for sexual offence

Any investigation related to sexual offences will be thorough, and our team will always advise

our clients to cooperate with these fully. Not doing so may be held against you at a later date.

Your computer may be seized, as well as your phone; this is done so that the police can assess the contents of these devices for evidence. However, you may need your computer or phone to function, so we will work to have them returned to you as soon as possible.

The police may also remove the devices of your partner or children.

There will also be a lot of interviews to attend, and we advise that you have one of our teams present at each one. During these interviews, we will aim to work with the police and display the evidence available to have any charges dropped, hence why it is so important to seek our advice as soon as you can.

Being convicted

If you are convicted of a sexual offence, this will be based on the strength of the prosecution. They may have forensic evidence or witnesses.

But based on this, we will be able to provide you with what we think is the most likely outcome. We will aim to have any custodial sentence that you receive reduced. Community service may be part of the sentence, as well as attending mandatory therapy.

But there are also likely to be limitations placed, which you legally have to follow. These will usually involve not being able to work with children under the age of 18 or not being allowed to see your children without someone else being present.