Ben Thompson secures not guilty verdicts in complex coercive control case

2nd April 2026

3PB's specialist criminal law barrister, Ben ThompsonBen ThompsonCall: 2022, successfully represented a vulnerable defendant facing an indictment alleging coercive and controlling behaviour, non-fatal suffocation, and criminal damage.

In the months leading up to trial, the Crown did not pursue reasonable lines of enquiry identified by the Defence, including relevant text message evidence. Ultimately, recognising the importance of that material, the Crown applied to adjourn the trial. Ben prepared a detailed Abuse of Process application, relying on R v Siddiqua Akhtar [2016] EWCA Crim 390, submitting that the adjournment should be refused and that, in the absence of this critical evidence, a fair trial was no longer possible, and the case ought to be stayed.

The Defendant, a vulnerable young man with significant learning difficulties, had already endured the equivalent of a substantial custodial sentence through a combination of remand and qualifying curfew. Ben submitted that to permit the proceedings to continue would be fundamentally unfair.

In light of the Defence application, the Crown offered no evidence on all seven counts. Not guilty verdicts were formally entered.

This case highlights the importance of rigorous defence scrutiny of disclosure and unused material, particularly in complex relationship-based allegations.

For instructions or availability, please contact Ben’s clerk, Ellie Bloomfield, at [email protected] or call 01202 292 102.