R v D
The prosecution alleged that the defendant, who was then in his teens, had raped a girl who was also a teenager. It was alleged that the defendant carried the complainant up the stairs into a bedroom and had sex with her without her consent whilst she was kicking and screaming. The defendant vehemently denied the offence stating that it was consensual and that she had instigated the sexual encounter. The matter came to trial after almost 4 years to the date of the alleged incident and the court was very critical of the length of time between the commencement of the investigations and the charging decision given that both of the defendant and the complainant were under 18 when the investigation began. The defendant was acquitted by the jury after a 4 day trial at the Bristol Crown Court in May 2019.
Billy Olaniyi represented the defendant and Ms Tabitha MacFarlane of Counsel was instructed.
