Acquittal for Man Accused of Sexual Offending Against Three Sisters

JB faced a 15-count indictment spanning over a decade, which alleged offences including causing grievous bodily harm, multiple rapes, controlling and coercive behaviour, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He had dated and married the first complainant before it came to light that he was having an affair with the second complainant, the sister of the first complainant. As the police investigation developed and each sister alleged various offences including that they had been raped by JB, a third sister made allegations of having been sexually assaulted in the same time period. Whilst subject of bail conditions and in the midst of divorce proceedings, JB was alleged to have then made threats to kill his ex-wife and of having the second complainant falsely retract her allegations.

The Defence case was that the allegations were maliciously made, firstly by a betrayed wife, and then by her sisters in support.

JB is neurodivergent, with diagnoses of ADHD, depression and anxiety, and traits of autism spectrum disorder. Ensuring that he had a fair trial required a series of reasonable adjustments and the instruction of multiple experts in order that JB’s presentation at trial could be properly understood by the jury.

As a mechanism for his to cope with his diagnoses, JB tended to record his interactions with other people, including his partners. Following a download of JB’s phone, these recordings were available to the Defence. James was able to successfully deploy some of those recordings to undermine aspects of the complainants’ accounts.

The trial lasted eight days. The jury acquitted JB of all offences by majority.

James was instructed by Nicola Smith of Bond Joseph.