legal advice was arrested

robbie9617

Hello I was arrested for suspected criminal damage, I was highly intoxicated and have no memory of being actually arrested, or how I got into the police cell, also have no recollection of the said criminal damage, I said I would like to see the cctv as I have no memory of this incident , I’m a bit worried as I haven’t got any support at the minute and suffer with psychosis , and other mental health issues,

I’ve never been court before and haven’t got any criminal offences , maybe possession of weed like a joint and drunk and disorderly but these were a long time ago

If the cctv shows it is me and it was in fact me that did this  , what is the likely hood of this case as I’ve been released on bail as said before never been to court and i know i wont be able to handle going into a court room.

What kind of support is out there
For me during this as I had difficulty during my interview I also let the officers know I suffer with mental health , but they only had a solicitor come and see me, I rarely go out due to my BDD, and my high anxiety , I was at a friends and have no  memory of what happened after I left.


I don’t know what to do about this as I rarely leave the house and find it difficult to speak to people and scared what is going to happen next I don’t have any support around me anymore .

please help 

thank you

Sandy_123

Hi @robbie9617 might be a good idea to get a solicitor involved who can  give you the best advice. If u can get access to the ctv it might help you see what happened. But your best step is getting proper legal advice through a solicitor who knows the laws.

robbie9617

i will contact my GP on monday and ask for advise thank you for your responses

janer1967

Will the solicitor you had when arrested not be following up your case and representing you ? 

robbie9617

i dont know i wasnt given any contact details from the soliciter when i met her at the station. 

the police put me on bail and said they will be in contact soon.

what should i do as i am worried about whats to come and have no idea what to do about it on my own

thank you

poppy123456

We can’t give any legal advice here. As others have advised you need to speak to a solicitor, some will give 30 minutes free legal advice. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/finding-free-or-affordable-legal-help/

Your GP will not be able to help with legal advice.

janer1967

The police should have details of the solicitor that was present 

robbie9617

yes i remember shutting my friends front door and after that i cannot remember how i walked back or being arrested. or what i was arrested for, i was on my own at the time, i was told i drank a whole bottle of vodka neat to myself and left.

Cher_Alumni

@robbie9617 Hello there, thanks for telling us some more about what's going on with you right now. It sounds like you have a lot on your mind and I'd imagine having no recollection of what went on is unnerving. We are here for you though, so please keep talking if it helps.

I just wanted to ask some more about your current position if that's ok? When you say you have no support at the moment - are you under the care of a GP or mental health team to support you with your psychosis and other mental health conditions? Also, is drinking large quantities of alcohol something you do regularly, or was this a one off? If you could give us a little more detail around that, it would help us to better help you. I understand you might prefer to share this information privately, and if that's the case please email us at community@scope.org.uk.

I can see our community members have given some excellent advice around seeing a solicitor. I'm also picking up that you are holding a great deal of anxiety around attending court if it reaches that point. I find having more detail about what happens helps alleviates some amount of worry and this 'Criminal courts and mental health factsheet' produced by the wonderful team at Rethink Mental Illness goes into detail about what to expect on the day and what support is available. 

One service that could be particularly beneficial to you is the Liaison and Diversion service, here's a little bit more about what they do taken from the Rethink fact sheet:

What are Liaison and Diversion services?
You can find Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services in police stations and magistrates courts. And at some Crown courts.15
These services are provided by the NHS.1
6 They are there to help vulnerable people who are involved in the criminal justice system. You can be vulnerable for reasons like having a:
• mental health problem,
• learning disability, or
• substance abuse issue.
L&D services can assess your mental health and give information to the court about your mental health. Each local team is made up of professionals like psychiatrists, social workers and a community psychiatric nurses (CPNs).
Their main aims are to improve health outcomes for people and to support them in reducing their offending. They can make sure that you get referred to suitable health or social care services.

17 You can refer yourself to the L&D service. If you would like help from an L&D service, please tell the customer services officer or usher at the court where your case is being heard. You can find the court’s contact details using the tribunal finder in the Useful contacts section at the end of this factsheet.

I appreciate that's a lot to take in, but we're about 24/7 so if you have any more thoughts please just give us a shout. Take care.