Sophie Evans, instructed by Old Bailey Solicitors, defended a man accused of assaulting and making threats to kill his ex-partner whilst holding a knife. The jury returned their unanimous verdicts of not guilty after less than 30 minutes of deliberation.
The three day trial took place at Guildford Crown Court, which is holding a limited number of trials with social distancing measures in place for the jury and all participants. Every step was taken by the Court to make sure that the jury were protected from the risk of coronavirus, including the use of video technology, seating the jury at separate desks located around the court room, and regular cleaning of the court room.
The new arrangements for trials at the court worked smoothly, and it is hoped that more court centres will begin to re-open shortly.
