Finally!!

[Franticwithworry]

An update for anyone who has been following our situation -

I'd taken a bit of a back seat as my husband and I had prepared for a trial, but after just over 1400 days on bail, multiple charges of rape and sexual assault dating back 40+ years and a trial set with only a few weeks to go, my husband has just been notified that CPS are not proceeding and will be asking for formal NG verdicts to be entered.

Please everyone, however long you have been in this horrible hell of police bail or RUI, please remember that it WILL come to an end, and sometimes it will come in a way that you don't think that can happen. We had girded our loins for a trial and the worst possible conclusion. 'Prepare for the worst and hope for the best' was our maxim. Nothing is ever certain but it does seem that more notice is being taken of whether or not allegations are credible than has been so in the past. People not telling the truth have a way of tripping themselves up.

Hang in there everyone. Your turn will come. It's certainly been an education!!

[Peter1975]

Fantastic news, I am over the moon for you and Mr Frantic, you've certainly earned some bananas




I am not sure if things are changing or not, the vast majority of cases have always ended in no charge or acquittal and where the CPS decide to offer no evidence, it's almost always shortly before trial when they finally assess the case they are supposed to keep under continuous review.

There is always a good amount of hope for the accused but it can be difficult to maintain it over such a long period and you have endured one of the longest times I can recall. Well done to both of you

[Franticwithworry]

Thank you Peter1975, your good wishes and support are much appreciated.

I'm not sure things are changing but pragmatism and hope are reasonably compatible bedfellows most of the time. :-) Thank you for the bananas too, this day was too long coming.

[Casehardened]

This is great news, I knew it had been a long while but 1400 days, that's nearly 4 years, unbelievable, but at least you can both start living again without glancing over your shoulders; Well-deserved bananas for both of you


Coincidentally statistics have just been released that fewer alleged cases of rape are coming to trial. I believe, like Peter, this has been as a result of the Police and CPS being more realistic about accusations, perhaps due to the Carl Beech case?

[guttedmum]

Finally

I am so pleased for you Frantic, just returned to the site today with my own good news which will post separately. Thank you for your kind words and support when I visited this site, you helped me so much whilst going through such a difficult time yourself. I am delighted for you xx

[Franticwithworry]

This is great news, I knew it had been a long while but 1400 days, that's nearly 4 years, unbelievable, but at least you can both start living again without glancing over your shoulders; Well-deserved bananas for both of you


Coincidentally statistics have just been released that fewer alleged cases of rape are coming to trial. I believe, like Peter, this has been as a result of the Police and CPS being more realistic about accusations, perhaps due to the Carl Beech case?

Thank you Casehardened. 46 months it was, probably 47 by the time all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed and the judge has made the final ruling. I hope you're right about realism on the part of the police and CPS. My very best wishes to all still waiting. I'll be following other people's journeys with interest.

[Franticwithworry]

I am so pleased for you Frantic, just returned to the site today with my own good news which will post separately. Thank you for your kind words and support when I visited this site, you helped me so much whilst going through such a difficult time yourself. I am delighted for you xx

Thank you guttedmum. I'm so glad that I was helpful, even a little, and I look forward to seeing your good news too. :-)

[Peter1975]

Coincidentally statistics have just been released that fewer alleged cases of rape are coming to trial. I believe, like Peter, this has been as a result of the Police and CPS being more realistic about accusations, perhaps due to the Carl Beech case?

I'm sure the embarrassment of the Beech case has helped but I tend to give more credit to Liam Allen and the newspapers that highlighted the issues surrounding his case, particularly poor disclosure practices. One would hope that police and CPS have taken this as the kick up the backside they needed to do their jobs properly.

I suspect that one of the main reasons for the drop in prosecutions is that doing their jobs properly, particularly examining digital evidence, is time consuming and more cases are simply awaiting a decision rather than not being prosecuted at all. ( I think I saw graphs in the guardian a while ago )

Almost 4 years is a complete disgrace though, even a guilty offender doesn't deserve that kind of torture, nevermind an innocent man such as Mr Frantic, or indeed a genuine complainant.

[Franticwithworry]

I tend to think that it's not one single factor but the joint effects of several and impossible to quantify. Historical accusations, with little or nothing in the way of electronic data are very different from modern cases with screeds of phone data. I think also that the fact that the CPS claim that cases are under constant review, resulting in them being dropped just before or at trial, is a red herring. If they troubled to investigate both sides of the allegation from the beginning, cases would stand a chance of being resolved much sooner but no, they build a case, bring charges and THEN have to back-pedal when they see what the defence has to say. They make the accused do the work that they or the police should have been doing - and pay for it too.

Had the police done what we asked them to do on the first day, long before they had a defence solicitor asking the CPS to do it when pleas had already been entered, this nightmare would have been months not years long. Had the OIC also sought to interview people my husband had suggested he speak to before rather than after charge, he would have had a much more balanced file to pass to the CPS.

False memories and fantasists are one thing but it's the job of the CPS and the police to weed those out and not be so darned gullible - if they really are supposed to conduct unbiased investigations, that is.

[Rights Fighter]

When I saw Gutted Mum's post I thought you'd started with a new ID profile! I am so pleased that they've had the correct results in such a short space of time.

I was dying to shout out the good news when you told me!

[ppm]

An update for anyone who has been following our situation -

I'd taken a bit of a back seat as my husband and I had prepared for a trial, but after just over 1400 days on bail, multiple charges of rape and sexual assault dating back 40+ years and a trial set with only a few weeks to go, my husband has just been notified that CPS are not proceeding and will be asking for formal NG verdicts to be entered.

Please everyone, however long you have been in this horrible hell of police bail or RUI, please remember that it WILL come to an end, and sometimes it will come in a way that you don't think that can happen. We had girded our loins for a trial and the worst possible conclusion. 'Prepare for the worst and hope for the best' was our maxim. Nothing is ever certain but it does seem that more notice is being taken of whether or not allegations are credible than has been so in the past. People not telling the truth have a way of tripping themselves up.

Hang in there everyone. Your turn will come. It's certainly been an education!!