The then 26-year-old defendant, who worked in the banking sector, met the complainant on Tinder and was accused of paying £60 to a 17-year-old to perform a sexual act on him in 2017.
The defendant admitted all the acts but maintained that he reasonably believed that the complainant was 18 years old.
The case involved the analysis of hundreds of messages between the defendant and complainant in 2017 and 2018 and complex legal arguments about the admissibility of the complainant’s sexual history and the appropriateness of an adverse inference direction (silence in interview and defence statement).
After a 4-day trial, a jury in Cambridge Crown Court (sitting in Peterborough) deliberated for 45 minutes before returning a verdict of not guilty.
Ali Bajwa KC was instructed by Nick Ives and Molly Lafferty at Mary Monson Solicitors.
Ali Naseem Bajwa KC