English
Freya
Janice is a solicitor who truly cares about her clients
On January 1st I was arrested for a crime that I did not commit. I have never been in any trouble with the law and really had no idea what was happening, so was naturally very distressed. Janice was assigned to me as my duty solicitor and she was the best solicitor I could ever have hoped to have. I was honestly dreading meeting my solicitor because you see all these shows where the duty solicitors don’t really care, but not Janice. While she of course was very professional, she felt more like a family member that was in your corner. She explained to me what had been alleged and that because I would be contesting the allegations that it would be in my best interest to answer all the questions but that I was absolutely within in my right to say no comment. I was also accused of being intoxicated, which I very much was not, and Janice said to me that she had seen plenty of people who had been drinking and I did not look like one of them. When the interview commenced, the police pulled up a poor quality photo of the injury they were alleging I had caused, that the accuser had sent to their friend. Janice immediately pointed out that it wasn’t a very good photo and asked if they had taken any themselves. They responded saying that they had not but they had the bodycam footage, and Janice came back with “I want a copy of that” without any hesitation. During my interview, I had to discuss how the accuser had treated me, and also briefly touched on some dark things I had gone through as a child. It wasn’t an enjoyable conversation, and my appropriate adult commented to me when I was released that I deserved better than that. When the interview was over and it was once again just me and Janice, she told me that I had come across really honest and put her hand on my back in a reassuring manner. I was released on bail later that night, and told to report back to the police station almost 7 weeks later. On January 13th I was informed by the police that I was no longer on bail as it had been NFAed and “it didn’t happen.” On January 15th, I received a letter from Youngs, dated the 7th, saying that a representative of the firm would attend the jail with me and I had to make sure I attended at the time and date. Having no idea the protocol here, and whether the police would inform them that I was no longer under investigation, I phoned up the firm to let them know. I explained the situation without even thinking to tell the lady answering who I was, and when she asked my name she said “oh I remember Janice mentioning you, she was really worried about you.” Not knowing at the time that it was Janice’s firm, I’d said to the lady that Janice was a real credit to their firm and she’d been really kind to me, and that I’d been singing her praises for the last few weeks to my friends and family, to which she offered to put me through to her. When I then spoke to Janice again, she said she was so pleased that it had been dropped and again reiterated that she had been worried about me and that what had happened to me wasn’t fair. She told me it was clear from the start that I hadn’t done it, and there were too many holes in the accuser’s story that didn’t add up. She said that she was really glad to hear from me, and even more so that the accuser was out of my life. She also let me know that the police had not notified her that I was no longer under investigation, so she said she was going to contact them and ask them to put it in writing for her and said that she would also send me a copy, as the only evidence I currently have is a voicemail from the sergeant in charge of the arresting officer. While I have no intention of ever going back to Sheffield, or ever needing a criminal solicitor again, if I ever did need one, Janice would be my first call. Janice was kind and caring, and she advocated for me when I was scared. Anyone would be lucky to have her in their corner.
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from Youngs Solicitors
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience — that means a great deal. Your kind words about our approach and advocacy are hugely appreciated. Wishing you all the best moving forward.
