Allegations of sexual assault are perhaps one of the most sensitive to defend, and the stress put on the lives of suspects, complainants and their respective families cannot be underestimated.
Stephen has many years experience representing clients accused of such matters, including defending those charged with rape, assault by penetration and assault by touching.
Whilst consent is usually the main defence to these types of charges, this is often not straightforward and care needs to be taken to ensure the court is satisfied that the complainant had the freedom and capacity to consent to the sexual activity that is being complained about. Even when jurors have most likely been satisfied that a complainant did not in fact consent, Stephen has successfully persuaded them that his client had a “reasonable belief” that consent had been given, leading to an acquittal on all charges.