An elderly man was charged by WA Police Child Sex Abuse Squad with multiple counts of sexually penetrating a child. The matter was listed for a 5-day trial in the WA District Court. The day before trial, the Director of Public Prosecutions discontinued all the charges. This man had endured some 18 months of extreme anxiety and depression going through the many court appearances whilst throughout maintaining his innocence.
How Does Such An Injustice Occur?
You may well ask how does this happen? Well, having these types of charges discontinued by WAPOL’s Child Abuse Squad is rare, very rare indeed. This group of police officers are very professional and well trained. They invariably, as they must, go extensively through the child’s statement and other people’s statements who appear to corroborate or reject the child’s complaint. They often then look further afield to the child’s teachers to see whether the child’s work has deteriorated, as well as for behavioural changes that may have been caused by the alleged sexual abuse. In the vast majority of cases that come to criminal-lawyers-Perth, the accused emphatically denies the allegations and maintains their innocence throughout. The contest is then between the child complainant and the adult accused.
Similar Sexual Abuse Cases
Most cases that our firm has been involved with have male accused. We have, however, acted for female accused, and children who have been charged with sexually abusing other children. Importantly, every case has its own individual set of complexities. The complexities have to do with the accused account of events, the victim’s recollection of events, and other witnesses that may support either the victim or the accused. Invariably, no witness other than the victim and accused were there when the alleged offending was said to have occurred.
WA Court Waiting Times
The time frame from an arrest to trial is considerable. In cases where the defendant is an adult at the time of offending trials are conducted in the District Court before a judge and jury. Where the accused is a child the case is heard before the President of the Children’s Court. The process is long-winded, particularly in the District Court where it can take up to 8 to 12 months to get to trial.
At criminal-lawyers-Perth, we have developed a particular specialisation in defending sexual offences. If you have been visited by WAPOL’s Child Abuse Squad then call us right away. The worst thing you can do is to speak to police before you speak to us.