Connor Stuart represented a defendant who was charged with serious violent offending towards a police officer while being held in police detention. At the time of the incident, the defendant was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and consistently maintained that he had not acted violently towards anyone.
The allegation arose from an incident said to have taken place inside a prison cell, where it was claimed the defendant had assaulted an officer during restraint. However, critical CCTV footage obtained from within the cell showed a different sequence of events. The footage captured one officer delivering an unprovoked strike to the defendant’s face and forcing his head down while restraining him; actions inconsistent with the prosecution’s case.
Connor made an application to dismiss the charge, applying the relevant legal criteria and drawing upon established case law. Following detailed legal argument and robust submissions, the court agreed that the evidential threshold had not been met. The case was dismissed in full, and the defendant retained their good character.
Connor was instructed by Mark East of John Robinsons solicitors.
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