I have been arrested

We would never suggest that you discuss anything other than confirming your name and address with the police. If they can twist your words to get a conviction, whether it was accurate or not, the resultant conviction and potential court case could be devastating to you and your family. Instead, simply ask for legal representation, they cannot continue to ask you questions until your representative is present.

 

If you are arrested and held in custody you have certain rights:

• To get legal advice;
• To tell someone where they are;
• To get medical help and see the rules the Police must follow (Codes of Practice).

 

If you have been suspected of a crime, the police may arrest you or ask you to come to the police station voluntarily for an interview. In this case, the police should advise you of your legal rights and give you the opportunity of seeing independent legal advice from a solicitor. If this is ever in doubt, inform the police officer that you are allowed help under Section 58(1) of the Police and Crime Evidence Act 1984. We would strongly advise you to simply confirm your details and not rise to any of their quips or questions which are designed to solicit an admission of guilt, hence making their quest for a conviction a lot easier, instead simply state that you will not answer any questions until you have received legal guidance. Remember, simply saying “sorry” is classed as an admission of guilt, if you give an investigating officer the slightest chance, they will exploit it to the maximum.

 

If you cannot afford legal representation, you will be offered free and independent legal advice, however, you should not assume that the duty solicitor appointed for you will keep your details private, after all, they have the same paymaster and the solicitor will be extremely familiar (and thereby friendly) with the police officers and not want to cause them any inconvenience. In our opinion, this creates a dangerous situation as regards legal confidentiality. Our representatives are totally independent and would not disclose any part of your conversation with them to the police. If you are seeking alternative legal help, we strongly suggest you use a private solicitor and do not rely on the duty solicitor for reasons already stated.

 

How we can help

We would suggest that you inform the police that you would like professional representation we would be delighted to assist you in this matter and if instructed your caseworker would ask to speak with you privately to compile a brief for a solicitor. Because we are internet-based, we may not have our solicitor in your area and may have to use a local one who is expertly qualified in his field. Their costs for attending may be more than our standard charge. Your caseworker will discuss this with you. We always aim to get your first visit free but this can never be fully guaranteed. The solicitor will guide you through all aspects of the arrest, charges and unlike duty solicitors will frustrate the police by not disclosing details that would help them convict you.

 

If items were found during a search that we can confirm was not done to set procedure then we can seek to have it declared an illegal search, and any resultant items found to be struck from their reports. To gain our assistance you need to open a case, this is done by taking advantage of our free consultation service, activated by the link at the top of the page, should you wish to start a case the caseworker will send you the suitable payment link.

 

Please note your caseworker can only give generic advice, their role is to prepare your details for handling by our legal team and to act as your point of contact, they will also issue you with your Password and PIN, these will be needed to log onto your client dashboard. From your dashboard you will be able to manage and view every aspect of your case, upload documents, images, files etc.