Jury deliver Not Guilty verdict for US citizen accused of Sexual Assault on Airplane

Mr AD was arrested upon disembarking a flight from California to London Heathrow. He was said to have sexually assaulted a fellow passenger on an overnight flight from Los Angeles to London. It was said that he groped her and grabbed at the vagina of the woman in the seat next to him while she was sleeping.

AD denied the allegations; he did not deny that he had laid his hands upon the complainant, but maintained that he was disorientated while sleeping on the flight and thought that he was reaching out towards his wife who was seated on the other side of him. He was remanded in custody and charged with an offence of Sexual Assault contrary to s3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

AD is a well-known artist in the LA area and a US citizen. His family instructed specialist sexual assault lawyer Quentin Hunt to look after his interests.

AD had been remanded in custody by the police, so the first order of business was to ensure that he was granted bail. Upon bail being granted by the Magistrates Court, bail conditions were put in place that prevented AD leaving the country and returning to the USA. Quentin swiftly made a further bail application to the Crown Court to vary the conditions which enabled the AD to return home to the USA whilst he awaited his trial.

AD worked closely with Quentin to analyse the evidence in the case and put forward a robust defence to the charges brought against him. Quentin also made disclosure requests of the Crown Prosecution Service in order to gain further unused material which would help the Defence at trial. In addition, Quentin was able to gather a large body of Defence evidence both in respect of witnesses of fact and witnesses of character, which would be usefully deployed at AD’s defence. In advance of the trial, Quentin ensured that AD returned to the UK early and conferences were held with AD to ensure that the case was watertight and trial ready.

The trial took place over four days at the Isleworth Crown Court. Quentin was able to robustly cross examine the Prosecution witnesses exposing flaws in the evidence and inconsistencies and contradictions that assisted the Defence case. At the end of the trial, Quentin was able to make powerful representations to the jury as to why the AD was not guilty of the offence charged. Happily, the jury agreed with Quentin's submissions and AD was found not guilty of sexual assault. AD was able to return to the USA forthwith without a stain on his character, he was delighted with the result.

If you face an accusation of sexual assault, you may wish to employ experienced and effective legal representation. Quentin Hunt is a specialist sexual assault lawyer who has over 25 years experience in dealing with sexual assault cases. Quentin accepts instructions either through solicitors or directly from members of the public. He has a reputation of working closely with his clients and having a meticulous attention to detail in his cases, giving his clients the best possible chance of success. You may contact Quentin for a free no obligation discussion about how he can assist in any criminal defence case.