Almost been a year.

[Worriedalways]

Hi guys. A bit of a long one here but my support network is very limited and I would love some advice.

I hope you’re staying safe and well in these unprecedented times.

I’m new here. I’ve been reading through as many posts as I’ve been able to read without my eyes going tired for the last week or so.

I’ve been encouraged by the amount of NFA’s I’ve seen but also disheartened by the few posts where the accused have charged.

My story is

I was arrested for rape last year. It’s almost been a year exactly, I wasn’t charged and was released on bail and then after 26 days released under investigation. My phone was taken and the the OIC asked for my PW at the station to my phone which I refused as I was advised by my solicitor I didn’t need to give them anything at the time.

Fast forward 6 months After hearing nothing from the OIC for months I asked my solicitor to get an update. The update was that the OIC wanted my PW to the phone. After 6 months of nothing they still hadn’t investigated my phone.

Again, my solicitor said I shouldn’t have to do the police’s job for them as it’s their duty to investigate so I refused once again. It’s now been a year and I’ve not received any update.

My solicitor said this is normal. That they’ve had clients that have been waiting in limbo for a couple years for a charging decision.

What I would like to ask the people on this forum who have seen many posts like mine, what are the statistics? I’ve done as much research as I can this last year and I’m holding onto the hope of the fact that only 2% of cases go to court etc.

How long can I expect this to continue? I have plenty of evidence to refute her accusation. Messages after each time we’ve had intercourse in detail explaining how much she enjoyed it and how I was understanding about it all. we were a short relationship, so only 3 times. Other evidence I have is Videos of us in bed making funny videos with stupid filters etc. Social media messages and so forth.


I was doing fine these last few months but because im approaching the arrest date my anxiety is through the absolute ceiling.

[Casehardened]

Hello, and a formal welcome to the forum,

It's good that you've had a look at other threads as it gives you some idea of what to expect. I'm afraid that I can't offer much advice as to regarding how long the investigation will take as it seems to be a (postcode?) lottery. IMRC the shortest time reported on the forum was about a fortnight and the longest nearly four years! I've always thought that the longer the investigation time, the more likely a NFA, as the CPS are supposed to charge as soon as there is sufficient evidence, but even this isn't a given.


Regarding evidence I was amused by this comment:

Fast forward 6 months After hearing nothing from the OIC for months I asked my solicitor to get an update. The update was that the OIC wanted my PW to the phone. After 6 months of nothing they still hadn’t investigated my phone..

Don't take this the wrong way but how can they investigate your phone if you don't give them the password, they are not likely to get the 'safe-crackng' team in for a FA that's likely to be NFA'd

Having said this, the forum always recommends following your solicitor's advice, they are closer to the case than any of us!