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My 77 year old father was arrested yesterday on an historic rape accusation from 1992. He is currently in local a police cell near his home in Wales and there are officers driving from East Anglia, about 300 miles away, to take him back to be questioned.
The accuser was a teenager in 1992 and was one of a group of disadvantaged local kids who went to my parents' church where my Dad used to take them camping, swimming and on trips to Alton Towers etc.
My Father can be very naive and simply sees the best in everyone. I've lost count of the times he's been ripped off by tradesmen or car salesmen because they said they were Christians and therefore he believes everything they say without question. Back in the 1990s we pointed out to him that he was putting himself at risk of this type of allegation as the groups of kids he took camping were almost exclusively girls. I recognise that sounds suspicious but anyone who knows my Father could never believe he was guilty of this.
In about 1998 he was previously accused by another one of these girls' mothers of deliberately bursting in on a group of girls when they were changing. He was interviewed by police and this led him to believe us that he was putting himself at significant risk and he immediately stopped organising these trips. This first accusation was put down as malicious because he'd refused to take the girl in question on the latest trip because she'd been disruptive on previous trips or something like that and no further action was taken.
The police went to my parents' house this afternoon and seized his computer and mobile phone and I think searched the house.
I guess I'm after advice on what happens next. I see from other posts that there's no need to instruct a solicitor unless he's charged. I spoke to the custody sergeant who advised that he'd be given legal advice both there and at his destination. Is this good enough at this stage? I'm happy to pay if there's an advantage to finding him other representation. How do I find a competent solicitor with relevant experience?
I live about 150 miles from the station he's being taken to and my mother tells me that when he's released he will have to make his own way home. Is that correct? Assuming he's innocent can they really drag you 300 miles away and then leave you to get yourself home? Regardless of the legality I'll go and collect him and I'm wondering if there's any benefit to me heading up there early tomorrow on the assumption that he'll be released after how ever many hours of questioning. I'd hate him to be released and then have to wait 4 hours for me to get there. Any thoughts? Am I right that he's likely to be released tomorrow? There can't be anything other than the accuser's statement against him so surely they can't justify keeping him longer?
Any advice gratefully received.
Brian
The accuser was a teenager in 1992 and was one of a group of disadvantaged local kids who went to my parents' church where my Dad used to take them camping, swimming and on trips to Alton Towers etc.
My Father can be very naive and simply sees the best in everyone. I've lost count of the times he's been ripped off by tradesmen or car salesmen because they said they were Christians and therefore he believes everything they say without question. Back in the 1990s we pointed out to him that he was putting himself at risk of this type of allegation as the groups of kids he took camping were almost exclusively girls. I recognise that sounds suspicious but anyone who knows my Father could never believe he was guilty of this.
In about 1998 he was previously accused by another one of these girls' mothers of deliberately bursting in on a group of girls when they were changing. He was interviewed by police and this led him to believe us that he was putting himself at significant risk and he immediately stopped organising these trips. This first accusation was put down as malicious because he'd refused to take the girl in question on the latest trip because she'd been disruptive on previous trips or something like that and no further action was taken.
The police went to my parents' house this afternoon and seized his computer and mobile phone and I think searched the house.
I guess I'm after advice on what happens next. I see from other posts that there's no need to instruct a solicitor unless he's charged. I spoke to the custody sergeant who advised that he'd be given legal advice both there and at his destination. Is this good enough at this stage? I'm happy to pay if there's an advantage to finding him other representation. How do I find a competent solicitor with relevant experience?
I live about 150 miles from the station he's being taken to and my mother tells me that when he's released he will have to make his own way home. Is that correct? Assuming he's innocent can they really drag you 300 miles away and then leave you to get yourself home? Regardless of the legality I'll go and collect him and I'm wondering if there's any benefit to me heading up there early tomorrow on the assumption that he'll be released after how ever many hours of questioning. I'd hate him to be released and then have to wait 4 hours for me to get there. Any thoughts? Am I right that he's likely to be released tomorrow? There can't be anything other than the accuser's statement against him so surely they can't justify keeping him longer?
Any advice gratefully received.
Brian
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