Clare Evans secures unanimous acquittals at Reading Crown Court for her now 22 year old client.

Clare's first trial of 2025 ended with unanimous acquittals at Reading Crown Court for her now 22 year old client. Instructed by Heather Howe at Andrew Storch solicitors, this young man was arrested in May 2021 aged 18 for multiple rapes and sexual assaults on a single complainant, then aged 17, during a single evening. 

The trial revealed the secret 'double date'  that had led the young people present on the evening to lie to their respective parents in order to be alone in the complainant's house with her friend, the defendant, and his male friend. 

Clare's targeted and carefully planned cross examination of the prosecution witnesses (the other 3 people who were present that night)  led them to reveal the previously hidden truths about what they had planned for this evening. The constant pressure of Clare's questions led the complainant to make disclosures she had clearly not intended to make and to also fall into error when trying to recall her own account. 

Such a shame that this young man had this hanging over his head for nearly 4 years, not least  when the jury took less than 2 hours to acquit him.