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Hill Twine Solicitors Successfully Defends Victim of Modern Slavery

Hill Twine Solicitors has successfully defended a victim of modern slavery in Bournemouth Crown Court. The client had been charged and remanded in custody for an allegation of supplying class A drugs. Our specialist Crown Court Team arranged a referral to the Single Competent Authority to assess our client for determination of whether he was a victim of modern slavery. The assessment confirmed that he was a modern slavery victim. As a result of the work carried out by Hill Twine Solicitors, the prosecution offered no evidence following a positive conclusive grounds decision. The case was dropped without our client having to face a trial and he was released from prison.

This was a serious class A drug supply case in Bournemouth and so a significant and important result for the client.  He would have faced many years in prison if convicted.  It took a long time to get the successful result because of the significant delays in getting the modern slavery assessment done. Due to the determination and persistence by Hill Twine Solicitors in ensuring the assessment took place, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) then reviewed the case and decided that it was not in the public interest to continue with the prosecution. In other words, the CPS dropped the case.

Hill Twine Solicitors has a wealth of expertise in dealing with drug charges and we are skilled in defending modern slavery victims. 

This case highlights the importance of identifying clients and potential cases where a modern slavery defence should be pursued.  It is crucial for the process to be handled properly to secure the right result.  Whilst there are various offences to which the modern slavery defence can relate, it perhaps most commonly arises in drugs cases.  Hill Twine Solicitors has a wealth of expertise in dealing with drug charges and we are skilled in defending modern slavery victims. 

A particularly important aspect of successfully defending a modern slavery case is recognising the potential to run the defence as early as possible. In practice, this means it is vital to identify a potential modern slavery defence at the police station.  If the defence arises it is extremely important that the interview is dealt with accordingly and that appropriate steps are taken to ensure a referral through the National Referral Mechanism is made.  This means that if a client is not represented at the police station, the chance to make an early identification is lost.  Equally, if a client is represented by a legal representative who is not aware of the intricacies of the modern slavery defence and the referral process, the chance to make an early identification is, again, lost.

A particularly important aspect of successfully defending a modern slavery case is recognising the potential to run the defence as early as possible.

The process is complicated.  Hill Twine’s specialist criminal lawyers ensure they provide the right information to the authorities very early on, particularly because the referral process takes a long time.  The Single Competent Authority that assesses potential modern slaves is currently overwhelmed with a backlog of cases and the courts will not always wait for the outcome of a referral before pressing ahead with dealing with the case.  This can, obviously, be contrary to the client’s interests.  

Modern slavery is a very fast-moving area of law and here at Hill Twine Solicitors we are committed to keeping up to date with developments in this specialist area of criminal law.  Our expertise allows us to secure successful outcomes, just as in this case.

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