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Dear All
We're new on here, partents to our Son who received the knock almost two years ago. We read most of the postings on here but have only just found the courage to post. We have a question regarding the solicitor / court process. He has received his charge notification about 10 days ago, the solicitor who represented him at his Police interview has said they can represent him in court, however when we've asked for more details than what's on the charge sheet they have said they won't know until the CPS have sent the prosecution package to them, so he'll have a few minutes with the solicitor before Magistrates court to decide his plea! Is this correct what we're being told? We did expect to receive more details before the court date.
We're new on here, partents to our Son who received the knock almost two years ago. We read most of the postings on here but have only just found the courage to post. We have a question regarding the solicitor / court process. He has received his charge notification about 10 days ago, the solicitor who represented him at his Police interview has said they can represent him in court, however when we've asked for more details than what's on the charge sheet they have said they won't know until the CPS have sent the prosecution package to them, so he'll have a few minutes with the solicitor before Magistrates court to decide his plea! Is this correct what we're being told? We did expect to receive more details before the court date.
This is what happened with my son. We met the solicitor literally 30 mins before his plea hearing. I think this is pretty normal as this hearing is just a bit of a formality. You will have more contact with solicitor/barrister after this x
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The evidence should be sent to the solicitor as soon as charges are posted however there is often times this doesn't happen. If there isn't evidence to decide on what plea should be entered or there isn't enough time prior to review everything properly then "no plea" can be entered but of course your legal representation will advise whether to do that. I would also add that if you get any inkling your solicitor isn't doing what they're meant to be then don't plead what you don't believe is correct as undoing a guilty plea is very difficult.
Be mindful of whether your solicitors are being competent as some can be rubbish. I called the CPS myself to enquire about getting a copy of the evidence and they asked if they should email it to the solicitors or myself (they said they could only send it once) so I told them to send it to the solicitors. Once the solicitors had it I requested a copy, which they gave me and my partner and I went through it. I would highly recommend you (if you can manage & your son doesn't mind) along with your son go through the evidence with a fine toothcomb and highlight anything which doesn't seem right and bring it to the attention of your solicitor.
Be mindful of whether your solicitors are being competent as some can be rubbish. I called the CPS myself to enquire about getting a copy of the evidence and they asked if they should email it to the solicitors or myself (they said they could only send it once) so I told them to send it to the solicitors. Once the solicitors had it I requested a copy, which they gave me and my partner and I went through it. I would highly recommend you (if you can manage & your son doesn't mind) along with your son go through the evidence with a fine toothcomb and highlight anything which doesn't seem right and bring it to the attention of your solicitor.
Dear All
Thank you so much for the quick replies and information. We have spoken with another solicitor late this afternoon who have provided us with much more information than the solicitor he is with at the moment, so i think we're going to change. As a background he has been charged with 'Making / posession of IIOC pseudo images' for just over a dozen images accross the three catagories, the vast majority are in Cat c.
We had the knock in August 2021, he was asked for a voluntary interview in July 2022. Since i have been in contact with the Police who told me over the phone that 'he was unlikely to be charged', i also have an email from the Police saying that he should hear within 4 - 6 weeks from the date of the interview if there was going to be any further action. We heard nothing for 7 1/2 months then received the chrage notification, so now we're back into the stress of not knowing what will happen, if it will hit the media, not eating or sleeping properly etc.
Thank you so much for the quick replies and information. We have spoken with another solicitor late this afternoon who have provided us with much more information than the solicitor he is with at the moment, so i think we're going to change. As a background he has been charged with 'Making / posession of IIOC pseudo images' for just over a dozen images accross the three catagories, the vast majority are in Cat c.
We had the knock in August 2021, he was asked for a voluntary interview in July 2022. Since i have been in contact with the Police who told me over the phone that 'he was unlikely to be charged', i also have an email from the Police saying that he should hear within 4 - 6 weeks from the date of the interview if there was going to be any further action. We heard nothing for 7 1/2 months then received the chrage notification, so now we're back into the stress of not knowing what will happen, if it will hit the media, not eating or sleeping properly etc.
It's a awful time and the worries you are having is what we've all felt during this journey. I've no advice other than try not to look too far into the future and just concentrate on his plea hearing then cross any further bridges after that xx
I'm really sorry you are back in this limbo waiting to find out what will happen at this next stage, it's really important to look after yourself and those days where it all feels too much just take things an hour at a time x
Thank you Mandymoo & Summer
Yes, i sympathise with everyone on this forum who have gone through and are going through this awful situation.
We hope that the sentencing isn’t too bad, however from what I’ve read on here it all depends on the magistrate / judge on the day for what they actually get served with.
Yes, i sympathise with everyone on this forum who have gone through and are going through this awful situation.
We hope that the sentencing isn’t too bad, however from what I’ve read on here it all depends on the magistrate / judge on the day for what they actually get served with.