Crown court trial for handling stolen goods: defendant alleged to have been involved in the removal and then storage of high value BMWs in a facility in east London. The jury were out for 14 minutes before delivering a not guilty verdict. The interesting point is that critical to the Crowns case was the fact that keys to the storage facility where the cars were hidden were found at the defendants home. The inference being that he must have stolen the keys in order to access that facility.
In fact after examining the keys and Gary Conway visited a specialist hardware store, it transpired that the keys found (called fire brigade keys) were actually available for purchase at any hardware store over the counter and accessed all types of locks not just the locks at the storage facility. The officer put in his statement that he was adamant those keys only accessed the facility and was made to look mistaken at trial.
This goes to show the importance of dedicated preparation and investigation when defending criminal cases. In truth, good old fashioned leg work on the part of pro-active defence solicitors always pays off. Sadly in these days when Legal aid is being cut to the bone by government, very few defence solicitors will go to these lengths and follow their clients instructions to the full.
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