Question 1

Simon

Admin · Accepted Answer

In July 2017, Simon was accused of raping a women who he invited into his home after meeting earlier in the evening in a pub. They didn’t have any sexual contact besides a kiss in the living room. Simon is reasonably disabled due to being born with a congenital disorder which affects his legs and mobility. Simon was arrested, interviewed and released on police bail. He had no criminality in his past and was very highly regarded in his local community.

 

I was first contacted by Simon a few days after this intrusion into his life in a group on Facebook, it was immediately obvious that he was extremely distressed and that this was affecting his mental health. Discussions about wanting to end their life are not uncommon when defendants are maintaining innocence, as Simon was. My initial discussions with him were to reassure him that the police will do a thorough investigation and if, as he pertained, no sexual contact had been made that the matter should be resolved reasonably swiftly.  He was also given advice to make a GP appointment to discuss his declining mental health.

 

I hadn’t heard from him for a couple of days so I made contact which is something that I have always done with anyone who I have supported displaying extreme distress. We chatted on and off all day. In the evening Simon disclosed to me that he had taken a number of tablets, upon receiving this disclosure I had no idea of his address so I made contact with a person who had commented on a recent facebook post and asked them to please do a welfare check on him. They went to his home and found him unresponsive and an ambulance was called. He survived, thankfully, but he was kept on police bail for almost 12 months before he was informed that no further action would be taken against him and that the case would be dropped. During this period of time we spoke frequently and Simon would approach me in times of crisis, regularly. He struggled speaking with family and friends about what was happening and his emotions, we are still very close to this day.

 

He will never recover fully from the experience but he uses this to support and offer advice to others who find themselves in the position that he was placed in.

Question 2

Simon

Admin · Accepted Answer

In July 2017, Simon was accused of raping a women who he invited into his home after meeting earlier in the evening in a pub. They didn’t have any sexual contact besides a kiss in the living room. Simon is reasonably disabled due to being born with a congenital disorder which affects his legs and mobility. Simon was arrested, interviewed and released on police bail. He had no criminality in his past and was very highly regarded in his local community.

 

I was first contacted by Simon a few days after this intrusion into his life in a group on Facebook, it was immediately obvious that he was extremely distressed and that this was affecting his mental health. Discussions about wanting to end their life are not uncommon when defendants are maintaining innocence, as Simon was. My initial discussions with him were to reassure him that the police will do a thorough investigation and if, as he pertained, no sexual contact had been made that the matter should be resolved reasonably swiftly.  He was also given advice to make a GP appointment to discuss his declining mental health.

 

I hadn’t heard from him for a couple of days so I made contact which is something that I have always done with anyone who I have supported displaying extreme distress. We chatted on and off all day. In the evening Simon disclosed to me that he had taken a number of tablets, upon receiving this disclosure I had no idea of his address so I made contact with a person who had commented on a recent facebook post and asked them to please do a welfare check on him. They went to his home and found him unresponsive and an ambulance was called. He survived, thankfully, but he was kept on police bail for almost 12 months before he was informed that no further action would be taken against him and that the case would be dropped. During this period of time we spoke frequently and Simon would approach me in times of crisis, regularly. He struggled speaking with family and friends about what was happening and his emotions, we are still very close to this day.

 

He will never recover fully from the experience but he uses this to support and offer advice to others who find themselves in the position that he was placed in.