Family and Friends Forum

My 15 year old son has a voluntary interview tomorrow, I have a solicitor arranged. What should I expect? He is having a voluntary mental health worker as his appropriate adult so I won't be able to be present in the interview. If he was to be bailed or charged with anything what is the time frames of this? We have a family holiday booked for 5 weeks time, is it possible that we would still be able to go? I think we all need a holiday at the moment, just to have a break away from everything.

Hi Crushed, no we have not had his devices back yet. The first police contact was on 16th Feb this year and that's when they took his phone, the following day they asked us if he has any other old devices, I still had an old iPad and phone of his but they hadn't been used in about 4 years but they still wanted them. We provided all passwords. So although it feels like the waiting has been an eternity, it's actually been pretty quick - I think? I don't know if this is a good thing or bad? Do you know what the process is after interview?

Thank you! We have a holiday booked for beginning of April, I'm hoping we can still go as we all need a break away right now!
i dint think his devices were sent away anywhere as when the OIC said they needed my sons Face ID to enable some of the phone I had to take him to the police offices so they could unlock it with his face - that was back end of last week.

So just been to the interview, I wasn't in there as a volunteer appropriate adult was but I was there before and after with the solicitor. The police are looking at worst case an out of court solution. There was less than 50 images and videos of all different categories, however chats have suggested that he was coerced into receiving the images. He had not forwarded any images on to anyone but he did have them on his phone. The police want to get the case wrapped up quickily so hopefully it will be over in a couple of weeks. There is no bail or restrictions and they've said that we can still go on holiday but I would need to contact SS regarding it.

I'm feeling relief and reassured a lot, my son hasn't really expressed how he's feeling and this is something that we need to work on. As soon as SS says that he can come home - he's currently staying at his grandparents - we are going to enrol on some courses on here. His grandparents don't have a computer and the police still have his phone so he can't engage in any courses yet. The police seem to want to get it over with so it's a relief to know that this will all be over in a few weeks *hopefully*.

I only know bits and pieces as I wasn't in the interview, my son wanted a voluntary youth worker as his appropriate adult, I think he was maybe worried about how upset I would get. He said that they asked him questions like was that his phone, does anyone else have access to your phone, did you know that these images were on there, did you know that it is illegal to possess those images. I think they asked questions about his sexual preferences and tried to determine if he had a problem with his online sexual use. We first had a visit from the police on 16th February and thy took his devises then, so it's been a very quick process so far.

It was a little different for me as I was the one who contacted the police because I was worried about the type of people that were talking to my son and asking him for pictures and the horrific stuff that they had sent him. My son admitted that he also asked for images because he was curious and seeking communication from people, he is undiagnosed autistic so struggles socially with people. You can imaging the guilt I felt as I was the one who contacted them but I wanted these people held to account and was worried that if my son carried on this behaviour and curiosity into adulthood that the consequences would be much different! So when the police came my son handed over all devices straight away.