Our client, a serving police officer at the time of the alleged offending, was charged in the early 2020s with dated allegations that he had a sexual relationship with his then wife’s younger cousin some 15 years earlier when he was an adult and the complainant was under the age of 16 years. The complainant, now an adult in her late 20’s, further alleged that sexual relations continued with our client after she turned 18. It was some years without contact between the two when our client contacted the police to report abusive communications he had received from the complainant’s mother.
After police contacted the complainant, our client was charged and stood down from duties by his employer while the matter progressed through the court system.
In the week before the scheduled trial date the prosecution applied to discontinue all charges on the basis that the complainant, who was then residing in Russia, could not give evidence. The proceedings were formally discontinued, bringing an end several years of uncertainty for our client, who had been awaiting the opportunity to defend the allegations at trial. Throughout the matter, our team provided strategic advice, thorough preparation and ongoing support as the case progressed through multiple court listings until ultimately being discontinued.