Child sexual abuse

Kevin represented the parents in a case where the father was accused of sexually abusing the oldest child. Having removed the children from the family under interim care orders, the local authority sought to prove the allegations and to have all of the children placed permanently in care. The parents denied the allegations and sought to have the younger children returned to them. The alleged victim did not give evidence. The case against the father consisted of ABE interviews with the child and of evidence from social workers.

After a three- day court hearing, the trial judge made a finding that the child had been untruthful. The judge found that the allegations were not proven and he went further, in that he entirely exonerated the father. Happily, the family was reunited.

This case demonstrates Kevin’s skills in:

• making good tactical decisions: in this case, whether or not to apply to cross examine the child
• careful forensic examination of the evidence
• effective cross examination of the witnesses
• dealing with sensitive issues
• eliciting a plausible explanation for the child’s untruths, which was not apparent from the case papers.