Annabel Gough, instructed by Helen Ricks of GT Stewart, successfully defends a 19 year old against 10 counts of drug dealing offences.
The Defendant was charged with 10 offences of supplying Class A drugs in the South East of England. Annabel and Helen worked tirelessly over 9 months to investigate and present the evidence of grooming and exploitation the Defendant had been experiencing since the age of 14. Including medical evidence of serious injury being caused by the adults controlling the Defendant. The Crown Prosecution continued with the prosecution after multiple positive conclusions of modern slavery and highly experienced expert opinion and representations from the defence team. The case then required delicate and careful preparation for trial due to the very limited admissibility of expert opinion in Modern Slavery Act defences. The trial was heard over 5 days with the vulnerable Defendant having to give evidence of their own exploitation under the careful guide of Annabel, before being cross examined for an hour by experienced prosecution counsel. The jury of 12, unanimously decided that the defence under section 45 Modern Slavery Act 2015 does apply to the Defendant, that they were a victim themselves, and returned 10 Not Guilty verdicts after deliberating for nearly 4 hours.
