Father vs. The World 

Our client, a 30 year old father with no prior convictions, was charged with aggravated common assault relating to an allegation brought by his 13 year old step-son. To make things more awkward and difficult for our client, his wife and step-daughter had provided statements to police corroborating the step-son’s account. Our client maintained his innocence and on review of the disclosure we advised him to defend the allegation at trial. On the morning of the trial, the prosecution applied to discontinue the charge. Not surprising to us and no doubt anxious about the prospect of cross-examination under oath, the wife’s version of events changed before the trial was to commence. The prosecution discontinued the charge, forming the view there was no public interest in proceeding given the turn of events. In addition to the discontinuance, we were also able to secure a costs awarded, enabling our client to recover a substantial portion of his legal expenses.