BACK

11 Nov 2020

Facing a sexual assault allegation can be devastating on both you and your family.

While many victims of sexual assaults are now coming forward and abusers are being caught, many innocent people are also being caught up in such accusations, leading to a fair amount of panic and uncertainty.

Regarded as one of the most stigmatising of crimes to be accused of, sexual offences carry a social stigma that is not seen in many other criminal activities, meaning that many who are

falsely accused feel that the judgement has already been rendered, even before they go to trial.

And so, if you are accused of committing a sexual offence, it is important to contact a suitably trained solicitor to represent you.

At ABV Solicitors, our sexual offence solicitor will defend you without judgement and provide you with legal advice about your position. We will conduct in-depth investigations surrounding your case, and build a strong defence if your case goes to court. We will also protect you against any potential repercussions from employers, ensuring that your job is safe through the duration of your case.

But what exactly does our sexual offence solicitor do during these investigations? Read on to find out.

Liaise

First and foremost, our sexual offence solicitor will liaise with the accuser’s solicitor and discuss the case in more depth.

You will typically not be present during this meeting and both solicitors will aim to reach an agreement on how the case is to proceed. Our solicitor will take notes at this meeting and investigate any statements made by the accuser further.

Statements

If your case is going to go to court, our solicitor will contact you to arrange your statement. While the police will have already taken your statement, this one is different and will be used in the court case. Similarly, they may also contact the accuser to attend a meeting to provide their version of the events, which will once again be looked over in depth.

Interviews

Like the statements, our solicitor will contact both you, the accuser and any other relevant parties and conduct interviews. This will allow them to build up a more detailed image of the alleged assault and will enable them to detect any potential inconsistencies in the accusers’ recollection.

They may also call upon medical experts to build up your defence, concerning physical evidence.

Research

This stage will involve going through your phone messages, emails and other contacts that you may have had with the accuser leading up to the alleged incident. They may also review CCTV footage (if applicable), and also take copies of any photographs shared between you and the accuser. Once again, this is to develop a clearer picture of your association with this person and to assess whether they are telling the truth.

Consult

Our solicitor is likely to liaise with other professionals during this stage; everyone from doctors, psychiatrists, nurses, even the accuser’s social worker (if applicable) may be contacted to build your defence.