Crown forced to offer no evidence for serious assault case – Leeds Crown Court web

GT Stewart Solicitors & Advocates represented D who was charged with PWITS Class A and PWITS Class B. The circumstances of the case was that D attended Leeds 3-day music festival along with two friends in a white Mercedes. D was in the front passenger seat and security staff decided to carry out a search of the vehicle due to where it was parked. All three of the vehicle occupants were searched but no drugs were found. Security staff searched the vehicle and found a white crystal substance located in the boot of the vehicle and a large clear plastic bag containing 45 small bags of white powder, 21 blue pills, 16 brown pills and 9 bags of brown powder in the glove box. The drugs were valued at approximately £14,000 and all three occupants were arrested and their phones seized by the police. These were interrogated and police found a photo of a hand holding some coloured pills on D’s phone, which appeared to match the drugs found in the glove box. D was interviewed by police and he denied knowledge or possession of the drugs in the car and denied knowledge of the photo on his mobile of a hand holding some coloured pills. We instructed an expert to prepare a report on the photo and he was able to show that there was no evidence that D had either taken or viewed the photo. After a five day trial at Leeds Crown Court, D was found not guilty – unanimous verdict.

D was represented by Patricia Walker as litigator and Derek Duffy of St Paul’s Chambers.