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Firstly, sorry I have been away so long, just after Christmas I suffered a breakdown and was unable to help my husband or family never mind anyone else.
Because of a total lack of faith in hub's legal team, Rightsfighter very kindly went out of her way to find me a decent Barrister who called us to discuss the matter further. I just couldn't get Hub to change his team because he had reached the stage where he just wanted closure. This caused a lot of friction between us and ultimately was the final straw for me.
We battled on and attended the new trial date in the Magistrate's Court at the end of January. The prosecutor was late and ill prepared so things were delayed for an hour or so during which time our solicitor verbally battered hub into accepting a plea bargain, aided and abetted by a totally ineffective pupil Barrister. The reason for this was it turned out that instead of 3 magistrates there was a District Judge which seemed to panic the Barrister who added she would not now be able to cross examine the FA effectively! We realised that the solicitor had still not passed everything on to the Barrister and anyway the Barrister had done little work and had scant grasp of the facts. Both Barrister and Solicitor repeatedly told myself, my hub and my son that there was absolutely no chance of a prison sentence and therefore no SOR which I queried especially the SOR bit. I also expressed concern that hub would be admitting guilt on a whole catalogue of fictitious events but the Barrister said the Judge would realise it was a plea bargain and understand that there would be fiction and exaggeration. The truth is that there was mutual flirting but no sexual advances other than hugs and her asking him to stroke her hair as it relaxed her which she failed to mention.
When hub re-entered court to plead guilty it was very plain that he had been blatantly lied to by our legal team and it was indicated that he would receive a prison sentence after probation reports. Our local policeman, a former prison officer, urged us to seek further legal advice and another solicitor told us our legal team were criminally incompetent. We really were at breaking point again and I just wanted to end it all but hub wanted to see what the probation service said.
He took along some of his evidence to show on the video link. Hub said he couldn't show remorse for something he hadn't done although he was sorry for the upset caused to me. The man said he had to treat hub as guilty but would NOT be recommending a custodial sentence and hub said he appeared flummoxed.
We returned for sentencing yesterday and hub had his case with him. We met our solicitor who asked if he wanted to say that hub was a throwback to 30 years ago from a male work environment and I said no, tell the truth, that you lied to us and pressured him into a nonsensical plea bargain. He said the probation report was not helpful and we were at liberty to sack him. We said no as then we would have no-one at all.
We went into court and hub confirmed all his details and his change of plea. The prosecutor stood up and started speaking but the Judge said she'd heard all that and to sit down. He tried to ask something else but was told to sit.
Then the Judge addressed our solicitor and asked if he had read the report, he said yes. She then asked if he was 'professionally embarrassed' and repeated it until he replied that he had given us the chance to dismiss him. She said she should think so given the nature of the 'scurrilous accusations' levelled at him by hub via the report. At first hub thought he was in trouble. She offered hub the chance to sack our legal team and find a competent legal team and to return on 14 March in front of her to decide whether he wanted to continue with his guilty plea or change it back to not guilty. Dope that he is (and dosed up with diazepam) said just carry on and sentence me because I've had all I can take. She said she couldn't continue knowing what she knew so I shouted up 'yes, we will' at which she smiled and said she had to hear it from hub.
Prosecutor asked for a restraining order which Judge said was wholly unnecessary based on our location, the fact that hub stuck to his bail conditions etc and that his wife (me) would keep him in check.
Sorry this is such a long rambling post. Hub DOES now want to fight and needs a good legal team urgently. Rightsfighter, we have no right to ask after your efforts before but if you can put us back in touch with the Barrister you introduced us to, we will be very grateful or indeed any other suggestions. I don't know if the Judge has done this based only on the lies re plea bargaining or if she knows about our evidence but it's a light at the end of the tunnel however faint.
Thank you and best wishes to all still fighting.
Because of a total lack of faith in hub's legal team, Rightsfighter very kindly went out of her way to find me a decent Barrister who called us to discuss the matter further. I just couldn't get Hub to change his team because he had reached the stage where he just wanted closure. This caused a lot of friction between us and ultimately was the final straw for me.
We battled on and attended the new trial date in the Magistrate's Court at the end of January. The prosecutor was late and ill prepared so things were delayed for an hour or so during which time our solicitor verbally battered hub into accepting a plea bargain, aided and abetted by a totally ineffective pupil Barrister. The reason for this was it turned out that instead of 3 magistrates there was a District Judge which seemed to panic the Barrister who added she would not now be able to cross examine the FA effectively! We realised that the solicitor had still not passed everything on to the Barrister and anyway the Barrister had done little work and had scant grasp of the facts. Both Barrister and Solicitor repeatedly told myself, my hub and my son that there was absolutely no chance of a prison sentence and therefore no SOR which I queried especially the SOR bit. I also expressed concern that hub would be admitting guilt on a whole catalogue of fictitious events but the Barrister said the Judge would realise it was a plea bargain and understand that there would be fiction and exaggeration. The truth is that there was mutual flirting but no sexual advances other than hugs and her asking him to stroke her hair as it relaxed her which she failed to mention.
When hub re-entered court to plead guilty it was very plain that he had been blatantly lied to by our legal team and it was indicated that he would receive a prison sentence after probation reports. Our local policeman, a former prison officer, urged us to seek further legal advice and another solicitor told us our legal team were criminally incompetent. We really were at breaking point again and I just wanted to end it all but hub wanted to see what the probation service said.
He took along some of his evidence to show on the video link. Hub said he couldn't show remorse for something he hadn't done although he was sorry for the upset caused to me. The man said he had to treat hub as guilty but would NOT be recommending a custodial sentence and hub said he appeared flummoxed.
We returned for sentencing yesterday and hub had his case with him. We met our solicitor who asked if he wanted to say that hub was a throwback to 30 years ago from a male work environment and I said no, tell the truth, that you lied to us and pressured him into a nonsensical plea bargain. He said the probation report was not helpful and we were at liberty to sack him. We said no as then we would have no-one at all.
We went into court and hub confirmed all his details and his change of plea. The prosecutor stood up and started speaking but the Judge said she'd heard all that and to sit down. He tried to ask something else but was told to sit.
Then the Judge addressed our solicitor and asked if he had read the report, he said yes. She then asked if he was 'professionally embarrassed' and repeated it until he replied that he had given us the chance to dismiss him. She said she should think so given the nature of the 'scurrilous accusations' levelled at him by hub via the report. At first hub thought he was in trouble. She offered hub the chance to sack our legal team and find a competent legal team and to return on 14 March in front of her to decide whether he wanted to continue with his guilty plea or change it back to not guilty. Dope that he is (and dosed up with diazepam) said just carry on and sentence me because I've had all I can take. She said she couldn't continue knowing what she knew so I shouted up 'yes, we will' at which she smiled and said she had to hear it from hub.
Prosecutor asked for a restraining order which Judge said was wholly unnecessary based on our location, the fact that hub stuck to his bail conditions etc and that his wife (me) would keep him in check.
Sorry this is such a long rambling post. Hub DOES now want to fight and needs a good legal team urgently. Rightsfighter, we have no right to ask after your efforts before but if you can put us back in touch with the Barrister you introduced us to, we will be very grateful or indeed any other suggestions. I don't know if the Judge has done this based only on the lies re plea bargaining or if she knows about our evidence but it's a light at the end of the tunnel however faint.
Thank you and best wishes to all still fighting.
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