Top Rape Defence Barrister

Where a defendant, charged with committing sexual offences against his stepdaughters, had attacked the character of one of the victims, the judge had been entitled to allow the prosecution to admit evidence of the defendant’s previous convictions for non-sexual offences in accordance with the Criminal Justice Act 2003 s.101(1)(g).

A judge had been correct to admit a defendant’s previous bad character under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 s.101(1)(g) since the conduct of that defendant in his evidence-in-chief amounted to an attack on prosecution witnesses. However, a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment had been manifestly excessive for breach of a sexual offences prevention order.