Just been on to a solicitor about my case.These are a specialist company,and were recommended to me by JK.
Unfortunately due to legal aid financial restrictions they can't act for me.
Will cost approx £15,000 for the solicitors to do a proper job,and another £10,000 for the barrister.

Now I'm limited to a local solicitor who may well have no real experience in this matter.

Not the most cheerful way to start the morning.

Sorry to hear that - I know that the recent Legal Aid restrictions have made a serious problem for many solicitors.

I suggest you look at Inside Time (the prisoners monthly newspaper - I write for it) - they have an online site - and you may find another firm who could recommend more specialist solicitors who might handle your case.

You could try Emma Dolan at Somers & Blake - she specialises in prison law and is brilliant at reversing parole decisions and such but she may be able to point you at another firm.

020 8567 7025

There are various organisations which help give advice and have lists of experienced solicitors, etc.

FASO specialise in helping people falsely accused of child abuse. http://www.false-allegations.org.uk/index.html

F.A.C.T. help numerous accused care workers and teachers. http://www.factuk.org/

It might be worth looking into these.

Thanks again JK.

Have been in contact with Emma Dolan.She's waiting for her boss to return.I may not be eligable to use them because of distance.But at least something else may come from it.
I have also started reading the inside time website.
Any help is most appreciated.

£25,000 in order to protect yourself from such serious charges.......

The mind boggles completely.

So now we can see the true state of JUSTICE since the most recent reforms.

So basically you will get a local solicitor who is green or jaded - hence they cant charge that sort of money.

This is why it is more important than ever to look at alternative ways to fight your case. My beliefs say fight them on ALTERNATIVE ground - where you dont need that sort of money.

Undermine their case against you by digging your heels in and asking for the evidence against you.

finally - surely you had representation when you were arrested at the airport and questioned ( which led to you being charged ? )

and I do hope you gave a NO COMMENT interview. They tend to make cases based on trying to twist what you say when they have no evidence. If they cant present any evidence why should you answer questions about hypothetical situations which may or may not have existed in the past.

The POLICE rely on bullying people ( hence the early morning calls ) the bunging in cells for hours on end without food or water or representation - and then the "tell us your side of the story" in order to find out where they can construct their "story".

If you have done nothing then answering NO COMMENT is by far the best defence. They wont be able to prove anything at all because real evidence will not exist.

It is so shocking to see how the UK police now chase innocent people knowing full well they have not got the money to represent themselves.

Thanks for the info.
May be a bit dated though,the helpline wasn't being manned,and i got an answer phone message to call back later.Will of course try again in an hour or so.

I've been arrested twice now.
The first time I did respond to the allegations,but the questions were quite tame.My solicitor(duty) said I'd done a good job.
When arrested again earlier in the week the duty solicitor advised me to 'no comment' everything.Which I did,but with great reluctance.

I've decided to not clutter up this fine board with anymore of my problems.So thanks for all the support and advice.Feeling you're not alone is certainly a big bonus.

Thanks Tim

Tim, I really don't think anyone here would object to you posting about your situation. I for one don't think it's cluttering the board up. Can't speak for JK of course, but I'd think he'd be fine with it.

Best of luck.

Look, I post here and I was actually guilty of what I was arrested, charged and imprisoned for. No one gets on my case and I feel it does me good to vent my views. One of the best things you can do in order to keep your own head clear and your thoughts assembled is to discuss them, and this is a good forum for that. It probably won't always be what you want to hear, but I'll guarantee you'll feel the benefit of it. Keep posting. Any support is good.

Unfortunately many support groups are forced to close through a shortage of volunteers. They are genereally given a hard time by police and media who label them as The Paedophile Lobby. However, those who's web sites are still online even thought they have suspended their activities may provide links to other organisations which are still in operation, so it's worth a browse.

The best advice I would give anyone accused is to remain silent throughout interviews. It is a fact that anything you say will be (not might be) used against you. Even avoid casual comments about the weather. If a police officer mentions the weather and you respond despite not answering questions about the charges, the prosecution counsel can stand in court and say that you showed more concern for the weather than you did about "your offence". The priority of the prosecution is to get a conviction. Sadly, the truth is of no importance to them.

Good luck with your case. But remember that even an inexperienced solicitor can do a determined and capable job, if his heart is in the right place and he can present and challenge evidence. So, don't lose all hope.

Innocent Accused - the case of Max Szuca in the new March issue of Inside Time might interest you - you could contact him through the paper.

Thanks,found an article he wrote back in august,didn't see one from this month though.
He seems to be lucky in having a family supporting him,i unfortunately don't.

And you'll see a delightful photo of family and supporters in this issue - but, more importantly, he may have both tips and names for you to benefit from.