My Son or Daughter Has Been Arrested – What Should I Do?

 

We receive many telephone calls from anxious parents whose son or daughter has been arrested in relation to a criminal offence.

 

From criminal damage to sexual assault, burglary to drug offences, it is often the worried parents or older siblings who contact us looking for advice.

 

How Old Is Your Child?

 

The first question has to be how old your child is.

 

All children under 17 are entitled to have an appropriate adult attend the police station with them. They are also entitled to have a criminal solicitor present to represent them within the police station.

 

As a parent, you can arrange for a criminal solicitor from Forrest Williams to be called on their behalf – even if your son or daughter has not requested this.

 

Arrange police station representation now: call us on 01623 397200

 

If your child is 17 or over, things are slightly different. They are considered to be an adult and will not be able to have an appropriate adult attend the police station, unless they are classed as being vulnerable for a reason other than age – learning difficulties, for example.

 

They will, however, still be entitled to representation at the police station by a criminal solicitor.

 

What Should I Do To Help Them?

 

In our experience, while a child who is 17 or over may be classed as an adult in legal terms, they are often not prepared to handle a criminal case and rely heavily on parents or other relatives to make arrangements on their behalf and support them through the process.

 

We are very used to working with decent, hard working families who have raised their children well. We know that to have your child charged with a criminal offence is incredibly worrying, and we take pride in supporting families through the whole process.

 

In cases where we are contacted by a concerned parent or relative, we encourage whole family involvement throughout the case. While always respecting the wishes of the person charged with the offence, as our client, we welcome full family conferences, and frequently send all correspondence to both the person charged and their parents.

 

We are parents and, simply put, we prepare cases for young people exactly as we would prepare our own children’s cases.

 

For an initial consultation to discuss your son or daughter’s case, call one of our dedicated case workers now on 01623 397200.

Tags: representation for my child