Mr. B and Ms. O had a rocky relationship for years, though they kept drifting back to each other. In 2020, Ms. O and Mr. B were back together and Ms. O spent a majority of her time in his house, and eventually moved in. The close proximity did not help their relationship, and continued arguments resulted in constant break-ups, resulting in Mr. B finally calling it off for good. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself facing the police, and being placed for charges of controlling and coercive behaviour against an intimate partner.
Fearful for his situation, he immediately contacted us to represent him. Our criminal defence solicitors immediately began conducting an investigation, to get to the truth of the matter. Beginning with all evidence submitted by the police and the prosecution, our criminal defence solicitors conducted a thorough analysis of all evidence, to determine if there were any biases or inconsistencies present. Following this, our criminal defence lawyers conducted their own investigation, which included speaking to our client’s mother and his daughter, gathering witness statements from the neighbours, combing through our client’s cell phone for any mobile phone evidence, and analysing any CCTV footage that was taken from outside their apartment.
Our criminal defence solicitors’ investigation revealed that Mr. B and Ms. O were not in a happy relationship, but that there was no controlling and coercive behaviour from Mr. B to pressure or threaten Ms. O. Rather, Ms. O would often hack into our client’s Uber account to track his whereabouts, and into his Facebook account to monitor his messages to other people.
During the trial, our defence team submitted overwhelming evidence proving that the relationship between the two was unstable but that our client had never exerted any pressure or influence on the complainant. Furthermore, our client had repeatedly found the complainant accessing his Facebook and Uber accounts without his knowledge or permission, to monitor his movement and his conversations with others. Multiple witness and character statements proved his good nature, the fact that he provided the complainant with a home while she was able to save her money, and that despite the on-again,off-again nature of their relationship, he welcomed her into his home and his life. Faced with the facts, the jury realised that the controlling and coercive behaviour charges were false, and were maliciously applied – resulting in them acquitting our client after the trial.
It can take one false allegation to ruin someone’s life – not just their relationship with their partner, but with their family members, their friends, and even their careers. If you or someone you know is in a similar situation, please don’t hesitate to contact us now. We’re here to help defend your rights and protect your interests.
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