Not Guilty Verdict in Rape Case

Tom Edwards represented a young man who was a student at the time of the allegation. The case was unusual in that the defendant accepted throughout that there was a lack of consent, relying exclusively on the defence of belief in consent. The issues in the case were extremely narrow although the factual dispute between the parties at the heart of the incident was critical.

Tom’s cross-examination of the complainant elicited some key concessions and highlighted the differences between her account and her initial accounts to friends which were admitted as evidence of recent complaint. Tom’s speech also highlighted further key deficiencies from her ABE account which ultimately lead to the defendant’s acquittal.

Tom was instructed by Khaleeq Zaman and Vijesh Saujani of SJ Law.