Laura Stockdale’s client found not guilty of multiple counts of rape

Laura Stockdale successfully defended a 49 year old man who stood trial on charges of rape, assault by penetration and intentional strangulation of a 17 year old woman. The Crown’s evidence included that male DNA consistent with the Defendant’s DNA profile had been found on an intimate swab from the Complainant, and that fingerprints of the Complainant and Defendant had been found in the bathroom where some of the alleged sexual activity occurred.

The Defendant denied all allegations. The defence case was that the Complainant had sold the Defendant crack cocaine at Kings Cross Station and asked to go home with him. Once at the Defendant’s flat, they took drugs together and engaged in limited consensual sexual activity before the Complainant amicably left. The Defence asserted that the Complainant made a false report of rape when she suspected that she may be in trouble with the police hours after leaving the Defendant’s flat.

At trial, Laura Stockdale undertook a careful cross-examination of the Complainant to avoid any application by the Crown to adduce the Defendant’s previous convictions. She also cross-examined an expert on DNA to highlight the limited assistance that could be gained from the scientific evidence in this case. At the conclusion of an eight-day trial at Harrow Crown Court, the jury found the Defendant not guilty of four of six counts and were unable to reach verdicts on the other two counts. The Crown subsequently offered no evidence on the two remaining counts.

Laura Stockdale was instructed by Bianca St Prix of Lawrence & Co Solicitors.