Summary
In February 2023, our client was accused of assault by penetration by his stepdaughter, an allegation he completely denied. The assault allegedly occurred in February 2019 at the family home whilst our client and his stepdaughter were watching a football match on TV. The complainant’s family had been made aware of the accusation in 2020; however, it was only reported to the police in January 2022 after she had reported the alleged assault to her school. In July 2024, a nine-day trial took place at Inner London Crown Court, where our client was provided with expert legal representation by Lawtons. Ultimately, the jury recorded a unanimous not guilty verdict, and our client was acquitted of the charge.
In Depth
Legal Executive Toni Hennessy-Ling was instructed on this case, acting throughout with sensitivity and professionalism due to the familial relationships involved. Our client denied the allegation wholeheartedly. He was saddened and shocked by the allegation, having raised the complainant as his own child from the age of three. Since then, he and the complainant’s mother had three children together, to whom he had been an active and supportive father.
According to our client, he and his stepdaughter always had a good relationship. However, this relationship deteriorated in 2020 following a family meeting, where the complainant accused our client of the alleged assault. Upon hearing this, our client immediately asserted his innocence and was supported in this by his partner. Soon after, the complainant would move in with her grandmother.
Shortly after the alleged assault, the complainant claimed to have written a letter to our client outlining the details of the accusation. Although she no longer had the physical letter, she had taken a picture of it on her phone. She asserted that our client read this letter and subsequently apologised to her. However, our client denied ever being shown this letter and did not accept having apologised. He maintained that the first instance in which he saw the letter was when his partner showed him the picture in 2020.
Ahead of the court date, Toni and the team carried out meticulous trail preparation and gathered extensive evidence to support our client’s defence. This included evidence from our client, his partner, photographs from their flat, social services records and further research regarding the football games on TV on the night in question. In addition, as the letter written by the complainant had no addressee, there was no evidence to confirm that it was our client being accused.
During trial, the evidence and statements presented by our defence team were deemed strong and compelling. Barrister Emma Heath of 9BR Chambers was instructed on this case and provided superb representation to our client in court. Accordingly, the jury submitted a unanimous not guilty verdict, and our client was acquitted of the charge.
Thanks to Lawtons expert representation, our client avoided a substantial custodial charge. Our client was extremely grateful to Toni and the team for their amazing work and for their support throughout the ordeal. He was very relieved to be able to move on and put this difficult period behind him.
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