Andrew & Andrew Solicitors Limited – Portsmouth Atlantic House, 114 Kingston Crescent, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO2 8AL Tel: 023 9267 5555 office@a2law.co.uk Imagine waking up to the news that you are being accused of rape or sexual exploitation, sexual grooming or historic sexual offences. Perhaps you’re walking down the street and you’re stopped by police and taken to the station for questioning about indecent images or child abuse. It can be a frightening and sickening experience, especially if you are innocent and need to prove that fact. If you have found that you are in this position and reading this strikes a chord, then hopefully you are aware of the need for a sexual offence solicitor. While you may be feeling overwhelmed and want to hide under your duvet, the fact is that this nightmare will never end and could get worse without the advice and expertise of a sexual offence solicitor. Taking steps to find the best sexual offence solicitor for yourself can be crucial in gaining the best outcome for your case. Without the assistance of a sexual offence solicitor, you could end up finding your reputation is ruined and you could even lose your liberty. What a sexual offence solicitor can do to help If you are going to be questioned at the police station in connection with a sexual offence, the way that you answer the questions and how you behave during this time can greatly affect whether or not any charges are brought against you and how serious those charges are. A sexual offence solicitor’s role during questioning is to advise you on which questions to answer and to challenge any legal procedures they feel are not being followed during the process. They can also play a big part in challenging the police over how much evidence they have against you and this can help to either reduce the severity of the charges that are made or to stop any charges being made at all. Your cooperation can be seen as a redeeming feature and sometimes a sexual offence solicitor will arrange for your interview to take place, rather than the police having to call you in. In doing so, this often removes the need for DNA samples and photographs of you to be taken Once you have been questioned, if any charges are brought against you, your legal representative will be able to start building up a strong defence case for you. This may involve interviewing expert witnesses such as psychologists, for example. They will also gather other relevant evidence, such as CCTV footage, to ensure that your version of events is supported and endorsed by other means. What next? If you are considering getting a sexual offence solicitor, then it is worth finding out if they are accredited with a body such as the Law Society. You may also want to check out how many years the firm has been established and what their success rate is with similar cases to your own. You may also want to consider what their costs might be and have an initial telephone call with them to find out more about what they will do to help you, before you instruct them to work for you. Find yourself a sexual offence solicitor to get the best outcome for your case. ht tps: / /www.abvsol ic i tors .co .uk /serv ices /sexua l -o f fences / h t tps: / /www. lawsocie ty .org .uk /publ ic / for -publ ic -v is i tors /us ing-a - so l ic i tor / law-soc ie ty -accred i ta t ions ht tps: / /www.c i t i zensadvice .org .uk / law-and-cour ts / lega l - system/ f ind ing- f ree-or -a f fordable - lega l -he lp / References :