The fact that Simon had been born with an incredibly debilitating condition which greatly affected his ability to use his legs, he had always been a ladies’ man. By his own admission Simon loved the ladies, even more than that he loved the attention which his cheeky-chappy demeanour brought to him. He was a popular member of his community and having moved some years ago from England to Wales he was well known for his stoic patriotism of his beloved England teams, regardless of the sport. Simon also liked a drink and was a well-known face in the local pubs which he had made his own, in the city which he had made his home.
In July 2017 Simon had been out celebrating his birthday and by 6 pm had decided to call it a night and called a taxi. Simon was struggling a little due to his disability getting into the taxi and a woman assisted him with his legs then as they were pulling away, she knocked on the window and asked for a lift with them, Simon agreed and as they were pulling up at his flat, he invited her inside for a beer. Once in his lounge she asked if she could give him a birthday kiss which he agreed to. A little while later Simon went to bed and his guest attempted to initiate sex with him, but he was in no state to reciprocate her advances and soon fell asleep.
When Simon woke up the woman was nowhere to be seen so he went to look for her, half expecting to find out that she had absconded in the night whilst he was sleeping. He found her passed out in the living room having opened and drank a bottle of Jack Daniels which his mum had given him before she passed away in December 2016. She had heavily vomited what she had drunk all over herself and the carpet around her. Andrew adored his mother and was utterly disgusted and heartbroken to see how his kindness had been repaid and so asked her to leave.
Within a matter of hours, the police arrived, and Simon was arrested on suspicion of rape, handcuffed, and placed in a police van. As he was leaving, he saw the scenes of crime van arrive and the officers dressed in their suits entering his house to begin the forensic investigations. At the station whilst he was treated with dignity and respect, he recalls that the experience was the thing of nightmares, and he still suffers flashbacks and panic attacks to this day. He also left the police station as he arrived, at no point was he offered any support or suggestions of any help available. Normally a person arrested for sexual offending is handed a flyer for The Samaritans. There is no denying the fantastic job done by this charity but handing a person who has just sat through one of the most harrowing and difficult interviews of their life a document which offers advice for those thinking about suicide is entirely counterproductive for their immediate mental health state. But this is pretty much the norm in every single initial contact made with the police. On occasion and more so in more recent times the duty solicitor may direct them to approach a support group on social media.
Completely destroyed by the allegations and fearing that everyone would turn against him Simon began to have the darkest of thoughts and had he not stumbled across a support group for the falsely accused that day would have been his last. He created a post describing his despair at having found himself in this situation and concerns about what the future would hold and received a reply within minutes and spoke with a number of fellow sufferers for hours who offered him words of comfort and advice. This group and others were to form an integral part of Simon’s journey and he found himself becoming friends with many of the members who have assisted him and remains as such to this day.
On Christmas Eve 2017 Simon received a call from the police informing him the case against him was to be closed and that no further action would take place, In the background other officers were calling out “congratulations” and “Merry Christmas” and at that point it became blatantly evident that at no point had anyone involved in the investigation believed the complainants allegations. Of course, Simon was elated that he wouldn’t be facing the possibility of a trial and potential wrongful conviction but that has done little to take away the damage that had already been done or excuse the devastation which he had endured whilst under police suspicion.
Simon speaks often to others placed in this situation and uses his experiences to assist anyone finding themselves living through the darkest of times which he overcame himself. He very bravely allowed himself to be interviewed for the “we believe you” documentary which I have discussed elsewhere in this book. He admits that had it not been for the groups and their members who have offered him support, advice and above all else friendship during his darkest time that he doesn’t believe that he would be here today. Thank you, my friend, from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to use your contribution.