Published on 12, July, 2020
I am totally prepared to start a campaign if there is not one to support ASD Adults going to court on criminal convictions. There are NO specialist solicitors. The Police are dreadful not trained completely for ASD. The courts need to improve advocate support inside then just a solicitor alone then generally get guilty pleas instead of looking at the whole. ASD sadly do not always have a voice and always go along with solicitors bad advice. I would like to see solicitors and courts support cases where ASD and social isolation to be taken seriously in any charges and always seek reports as protocol when is known ASD person is before the courts. Can anyone help me know how to improve the system where guilty pleas are forced then the truth and innocence is lost due to ASD going along with early guilty pleas when innocent to criminal convictions then the entire?
I was arrested and charged, over 20 electronic devices taken from my house basically for online harassment to girl who wouldn't leave me alone and stalked me for years. She manipulated me into reacting by sending lots of messages and when her husband found out she was messaging me she made a cover story that it was me that wouldn't leave her alone. Almost 3 years later (its taken the police hundreds of hours to go through my devices) the court case is still pending and I haven't been to get on with my life so I have been unemployed or I would have over £10k in legal, technical and psychiatric bills to pay for. I just graduated uni and my career has been ruined. I made a counter complaint showing how this girl had messaged me 50 times in a row previously and had followed me and even showed her driving past my house but the police keep hiding this and only focus on what I did back to her. The psychologist said that autism is not a defence for sending lots of messages or going on to her emails after she gave me the password and that I ought to have known better. BTW the whole case has cost taxpayers over £100k but I'm an easy target to the police and CPS who want to bump their statistics up
Update I was convicted of offending the complainer on Facebook and given community service and a social worker for 2 years so it is impossible for me to work an an engineer and deal with all of this and the criminal record. I am now looking into claiming ESA from the taxpayer and will not be contributing to the country, paying my £30k student loan or any income tax back to the public
I'm really sorry this has happened to you!
The stigma attached to a criminal record is difficult. It must be really hard for you when you've worked so hard at university and earned a degree and now this has come along.
There are some employers that will overlook a criminal record but there is of course a stigma, there is research that proves it. The entertainment industry is one in which it matters a lot less. Self-employment is probably the best option too, if you think you can work that way.
I hope there's some way forward for you. Perhaps in time, a new opportunity will arise from what has been something terrible.