Clarissa Rodio, instructed by the RASSO team at the CPS, secures convictions at St Albans Crown Court against a defendant charged with one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault committed in 2023.
The victim and the defendant knew each other through a mutual friend and met for drinks at a pub in memory of that friend who had passed away. She became highly intoxicated, becoming physically unwell in the taxi. The defendant changed the destination of the taxi to his own address and took her home, during the journey she drifted in and out of consciousness. The case involved significant forensic and digital evidence, including DNA evidence and photographs found on the defendant’s phone showing the victim lying next to him while unconscious and lying unconscious from different angles in her underwear. Those images were deleted seconds before the police attended his workplace to arrest him.
The defendant denied the allegations, asserting that she was not intoxicated and had been conscious throughout. He further asserted that they were in a relationship and that all sexual activity between them was consensual, a defence first advanced in his defence statements. Defence witnesses testified that they had previously observed the pair together and believed them to be in a relationship.
Guilty verdicts were recorded after a 2 week trial. Sentencing will take place in July.
Clarissa’s full profile: https://greatjames.co.uk/members/clarissa-rodio/