Waking nightmare

[Mr B]

Well done.

Kindest regards
Mr B

[Jan11]

Well done. Keep strong. Deal with what is in front of you, keep your fight for when someone is in the ring with you.

[Silver]

Thinking of you determinemum,
Cannot imagine the anguish you must be going through my eldest is early20s,they are just so young to have to cope with this stress,and to think your son is doing his best by studying at university with good career prospect does not sound like the stereotypical yob type guy....This injustice system is so unfair...l agree anomity is best we have just told a few very close family members about my OH alleged offence no one else needs to know.....

[Staystrong1]

So we had our first taste of Crown Court yesterday. Pleased to say I think we have a superb barrister who travelled down from London. She had such a good grasp of the case, and thinks we can 'respectfully dismantle' the prosecution case when it comes to court - which we now know will be starting on 24 July. So we have more than six months to prepare. My son returns to university tomorrow and life will continue, but we will be working hard in the background to build his defense and won't rest until he has the Not Guilty verdict.

Thanks all for your words of support. I know there will be times of intense activity over the coming months but hopefully we will be able to also function relatively normally for much of the time. Having something like this hanging over a loved one means it is never far from your mind - for me, as a mum, it's there all day every day but accompanied by differing degrees of anxiety / stress and this is helping me stay sane.

It was a relief to get yesterday's hearing out of the way. And we need to take moments of relief when ever and where ever we can. On we go ...

Hi
Just wanted to send message of support
Sounds like you have a good barrister on board which is crucial in FA like this.
Having been through this awful ordeal and with it behind us you have the right mindset and I wish you all the best. Stay as positive and as strong as you are and you will come through it. Keep,supporting your son and each other as you are. Take one day at a time. You are doing the right thing to build his defence and leave no,stone unturned. Keep,going and stay strong and positive x

[can it get worse]

This is another hurdle over.

Now for the challenge where you begin to get a grip of what you have ahead of you. Once CPS start to provide more and more of the evidence bundle - you will be able to highlight discrepancies in the allegations. Although you will encounter ups and many downs and all sorts of emotions, you will also find that you can focus upon the 'evidence' in order to build his defence.

Sending best wishes.

[determinedmum]

Character references / witnesses

It's been a while since I updated this thread. We are now about 10 weeks away from Crown Court. Still waiting for key documents about the wider investigation to be provided by the CPS, which is frustrating but not unexpected.

When we last discussed matters with our barrister, she asked my son to think about who could provide him with a positive character reference - preferably a female friend or mentor, the aim being to demonstrate that he's able to have healthy and respectful relationships with women.

There are numerous people my son could ask, but he doesn't want to 'break cover' as this would mean revealing what he's been accused of. I've said to him that he just needs to provide his barrister with what she's asked for but, before I get too pushy, can the forum advise on how important this may or may not be for his case?

Any input or ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Rights Fighter]

Nobody can make the decision for him. How about an ex? Often when an ex gives positive evidence - especially if the parting was acrimonious - can be helpful.....

[Peter1975]

Character references are not crucial but I felt they were important in my case and I would definitely advise he get some as they could help tip the balance in the mind of jury.

It is said that cases are often won in the closing speeches of defence council and if they can refer back to some nice comments as a counter balance to the inevitable character assassination by prosecution so much the better.

It is obviously difficult to disclose to others and know who can be trusted but often many people will surprise you with their support once they are taken into your confidence.

Personally I took the view that I didn't care who knew as anyone that would doubt me were not worth worrying about and I found that no one doubted me at all.

[determinedmum]

GREAT NEWS - CPS drops case three weeks before trial date

Great news - we had a call yesterday from our solicitor to say the CPS has reviewed the evidence against my son, three weeks ahead of his trial date, and decided not to proceed!!!!! Someone finally took a proper look at the body of evidence and saw the injustice of the charge and the poor chance of conviction.

OMG, I don't have the words to express our relief.

The system worked very quickly and we were in court today with our barrister for a 'Mention' hearing, where the CPS presented no evidence and the Judge declared my son Not Guilty

So - now we can now look forward with hope rather than dread. I think it's going to take a while to sink in, we were in battle mode and living with the stress and anxiety everyday has certainly taken its toll. But today I feel 10 years younger and can't stop smiling.

Just one big question for the Forum - my son's record will show arrest, charge and then formal acquittal. This will remain on his police record, but as he's been acquitted pre-trial will it be disclosed on a DBS check, and if it is will it make a difference? If so, what steps can we take to mitigate the damage this may do for him.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. In the meantime, we are drinking fizz

Thanks all, I had amazing support from this forum when we were at our lowest point discovering there is no support out there for people in our situation. This is such an amazing community

[Peter1975]

Fantastic news!

[Casehardened]

What brilliant news....so pleased for you and your son....

[wakingnightmare]

That is really wonderful news. So pleased for you all.

[Franticwithworry]

Wonderful news for you! I'm so pleased!!

[Stressed out mother]

Reading this now gives me hope. I am so glad for you and your son, but have to hate how the system has taken so many months to see the truth!!

[Staystrong1]

Wonderful news for you all


What a relief for you all. Well done for remaining strong through the hardest of times and you can now get on with the rest of your lives. x