Please advise me..

[sally01m]

Hi,I have been reading this forum for 14 months whilst my son has been on bail....it has been massively helpful to me and up until now I have not had the courage to post but now he has been charged purely on a consent issue I don't no where to turn except here....could anyone please recommend a yorkshire barrister we have been told we have to make contributions due to being refused legal aid....

[AmandaF]

I can't advise you but just to say there are many on here who can.

You are in the right place for support- so many of us going through this horror.

[sally01m]

Thank you..it's a constant nightmare so many bail dates and times we nearly just stayed down but no way can I sit back and after all the great support and info on here we are prepared to prove his innocence.....I feel like I should be doing something.....Just don't have as clue what...

[Malkie]

I'm thinking of you at this difficult time. You are to be congratulated for the support you continue to offer your son. Keep going no matter what, as it will mean the World to him to know that someone supports him.

In my own case, it was never an option for my own mother to offer financial support so that I could employ a better defence team, even though she has the means to do so. My 2 siblings put the kybosh on that - they are both concerned that they don't lose out on their inheritance.

All the very best wishes for you both in this difficult time.

[TBG1]

Welcome

Hi Sally and a sad but warm welcome.


As Amanda says, it's good that you have come here and having browsed for a while now you will know that there is plenty of support to be had.


The main difference between the support here and that which you and your son are undoubtedly receiving from friends and family is that unfortunately, the people you will connect with here have actually had experience, real experience of what you're going through. This means that you will benefit from real-life experiences of each and every "stage" of the process rather than simple opinion.


With regards to your question, I can't personally recommend anyone at this point however there is a thread to which "successful" members are invited to post details of their legal team. It is quite a mature thread now so I'm sure you will see several in your area - Do bear in mind however, that it may not be absolutely necessary for your solicitor to be "within a stone's throw" of where you live. Many specialists work 'out of area'. Here's the link to the thread:


http://www.daftmoo.org.uk/mooforum/s...ist-solicitors


You may find it helpful to post a brief overview of the case (of course omit any identifying information and details) so that members can offer more specific advice if they can.


Best Wishes & A Warm Welcome


TBG1

[Rights Fighter]

Does he have to pay contributions or is he going to be a private client? If private client ring Chris Saltrese (works nationally) on 01704 535 512.

Chris uses a fab QC Tania Griffiths and also a fab barrister David Potter, both tried and trusted many times.

If he has to pay contributions towards LA contact Mark Newby / David Crossling at Jordan's in Doncaster. They should pick a decent barrister for you.

[sally01m]

We got the letter yesterday to say he had been refused legal aid for magistrate court and it looks as though we will have to make contributions after that... My lad works and I work several jobsand paying is going to be a struggle but what else can we do...I wanted to put the situation on here but I wasn't sure how much I can say....thanks for all the support already you are all great!

[Staystrong1]

Hi and welcome

Hi Sally

Glad you have plucked up,courage and posted on forum. You will find lots of us have been or going through the same awful ordeal and be able to offer you help,and support.x

[sally01m]

Good morning....could anyone advise on what we should be doing...my son is at magistrate court next week where he will be sent to crown is this when we can c what evidence there is?? My solicitor is saying before this date there is no point appointing a barrister ect because they won't no anything more than we do now....he felt sure after it had come back from cps twice and 8 bail dates we would get nfa but as I said earlier they have decided to let a jury decide....feel useless.

..

[Rights Fighter]

At the moment there isn't any real point in allocating a barrister to the case as there's nothing he or she can do until the evidence "disclosure" starts to come through.

It might start trickling through at magistrates.

Once you have the date to attend Crown court (PCMH - Plea and Case Management Hearing) and other pre trial hearings, is when you need a barrister.

[can it get worse]

Hi & welcome.

Sorry to hear of your situation. It certainly is a long and tiring road.

I echo what RF has previously posted on recommended sols. We used Chris and Tania who were superb but I have also spoken to Mark Newby who has a very good reputation in this area of work.

It may be helpful for your son to make detailed notes of all events. Even things which he may not think are relevant. Once he writes things down, it can lead hmi to remember other things which may be significant He will then be able to use this once CPS start to provide their 'evidence'. Unfortunately, from our own experience, CPS are not forthcoming in providing the information. Thus making it difficult to know how to prepare the defence. However, once you have engaged a solicitor who you are confident with, you will then be in a much better position to start.

Sending you

[sally01m]

Thanks again everyone it just feels so surreal...my son is positive some days and so down the next as am i ....I am a bit confused with the contribution legal aid thing....the letter says we won't get any help at magistrate court but then pay £400 a month for six months so does this mean we pay separate for the barrister ect...I'm going to c about re mortgaging or taking some equity from my house to pay if need be....the general feeling I get from talking on here and from what I have read if we can pay its better maybe.... But what if we can't?? I can't bear the thought of not doing all I can to help him.....all this is based on her saying she can't remember having sex with someone after a night out and going to the police....she woke up with him he's slept with him before....its a long and complicated tale which I would very much like to share on here but there are crazy parts to it that if anyone who knows us would recognise as this situation so I don't know if I should...thanks to everyone who has commented up to now it helps more than you know.....just wish I had posted months ago x

[Rights Fighter]

Paying doesn't always mean you get good service. There are some fab legal aid sols out there and if he has to contribute, then there is the choice of doing that or going private with a recommended firm.

I suppose you could go to Mag unrepresented to avoid unnecessary costs. Cases aren't thrown out at that point and all that happens is the booting up of the case to Crown court.

I'll ask solicitor Chris and see what he says about that though

[Rights Fighter]

OK here is what solicitor Chris says:

"The hearing at the Mags will be a “plea before venue and mode of trial” hearing at which he will enter NG pleas and (if he is accused of anything sexual) the Mags will refuse jurisdiction and send it to the Crown Court.

These hearings are almost always a formality.

But he should not go to Court unrepresented – it may be that there is some irregularity in the charges and, if so, he will need a sol there to sort it out.

Also if the Police want to impose unreasonable bail conditions he will need reps from a sol.

He should be able to get a local sol to do it for £100 plus VAT".


So I got it wrong re going unrepresented. Please take note of what Chris has said.

[I shall now go and stand in the corner for the rest of the day ]

[sally01m]

I've just got Chris satlrese phone number off here so I am going to call them.....thanks so much for doing that for us it really is appreciated and please don't go stand in the corner your fab!!