Summary
Solicitor Advocate Glen Henry represented a client who faced two counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13 while he was an adult. This assault was alleged to have taken place over 25 years ago. Along with our client, two other defendants were charged with similar offences and represented by different solicitors. However, all three defendants submitted not guilty pleas. A two-week trial took place at Reading Crown Court where, thanks to the expert representations provided by Lawtons, our client, as well as one of the other defendants, was found not guilty on both counts.
About the Case
The complainant alleged that, while she was between the ages of 12 and 13, our client had repeatedly engaged in sexual intercourse with her when he would have been in his 20s. She alleged that the other two defendants had already engaged in sexual activities with her previously, before she was ‘passed over’ to our client.
Further to this, she claimed that she had contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and been impregnated by our client. This pregnancy occurred when the complainant was 13 years old but was terminated soon after.
Our client strongly denied these allegations of rape however, he did accept having engaged in sexual activity with the complainant. He maintained that these instances occurred exclusively when she was over the age of 16 and had passed the age threshold for consent. He did not accept having impregnated the complainant or having transmitted an STI, asserting that the dates of these incidents did not align with when he and the complainant were in a relationship.
With cases that involve historical allegations such as this, it can be very challenging for clients to recollect specific details that may be crucial to the case. Glen worked closely with our client to carefully reconstruct the timeline involved at the time of the alleged assault and his personal circumstances.
Court
A two-week trial took place at Reading Crown Court in February 2025, where our client was represented by Barrister Dominic Benthall of 15NBS Chambers. The evidence provided by our client in court, as well as during cross-examination, remained consistent with his previous statements.
Equally, in collating our client’s timeline, alongside a robust cross-examination of the complainant’s version of events in court, we were able to successfully undermine the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence and establish that it was unreliable.
Due to Glen’s diligent preparation ahead of trial and the expert representation provided in court, the jury returned not guilty verdicts on both counts and our client was acquitted of the charge. Of the two other defendants also charged, only one was also acquitted.
This outcome was the result of the outstanding legal expertise provided by Lawtons. As the sentencing for charges of this kind can be met with a substantial custodial sentence, our client was extremely grateful to Glen and the rest of the team for their dedication and the guidance that he had received throughout.
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