Scared Shitless

As I sat in the cell, I wondered what the hell had happened and why after all my hard work and dedication to the law I had ended up in a cell. I had done nothing wrong but what if it transpired that there was some weird miscarriage of justice and I was put in prison for something that I hadn't done?

I must have dozed off because the next thing I was aware of was being asked to follow an officer out of the cell. I got up and followed him as instructed.
We entered a room and sitting at the table was a very old friend of mine, who also happened to be the best criminal solicitor there was. I walked over to him and hugged him, I felt so relieved, it was so good having someone there that knew what I was going through and would help me. We briefly discussed what the hell had happened and how I had ended up in this ridiculous position but before we could finish, the door opened and in walked one of the arresting officers.

I had been told to give a no comment interview as there had been no disclosure given, this made everything so much easier. The police were absolute assholes and to be honest knew nothing, they asked questions that were obviously of no relevance and did not understand the 'crime' that had been committed at all. It was a shambles.

After and hour of questioning I asked for a moment to speak to my solicitor and the officers quite obviously pissed off left the room and we were left alone.

'What the hell are they talking about?' I was so confused.
'I know your confused, but they have to ask you questions, even if they don't make sense' the solicitor was doing his job, he knew I was tired and pissed off with the whole thing.
'I mean that tape they keep playing, its not my voice? so why do they keep saying it is? when the person on the tape talks about, the bitch, he isn't even referring to me, its clear he isnt' I was getting frustrated because I knew I couldn't say anything once they were back in the room.
'I don't know how much more I can take, I'm really tired and I haven't really eaten anything so please try and get this over and done with as soon as, please' I looked over at the solicitor and he was just going to say something when once again the officer interrupted us and said that he wanted to continue the interview.
This interviewing/break, interviewing/break procedure went on for 17 hours. At the end of the 13 hours I was finely told that I would not be remanded in custody and would be bailed until a further date.

I was taken back into the cell while the paperwork was being dealt with and an hour later I was escorted from the cell into the custody unit, where I was promptly bailed and told of my 'return' date.

I was given my papers and told not to leave the country, yeah right, where the hell would I be going??

I walked out of the custody unit and into the police station reception and for the first time in 17 hours I saw daylight AND breathed in fresh air. The problem was, this was just the beginning...........

Patience

Sorry I have been AWOL for a few weeks but there has been discussions in the firm that there is some type of whistle blower (noting to do with me). There is some issue the firm has to do with billing and compliance and the SRA are all over the firm at the moment so I have been a bit quiet. The next instalment shall be with if not later today then tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and remember every day is a another story to tell.


xxxxxxx

Paddington Police Station

‘I need the bathroom’ I said 

‘What?’ the officer had just fastened her seat belt and was not amused

‘ I need the bathroom’ I repeated myself and looked at the officer who was sat next to me.

The female officer exited the car and walked over to my door, opened it and waited for me disembark before following me back to the office. I ensured that I walked in front of her  and as the office door opened Dave was standing in the corridor talking to my secretary

‘Everything OK?’ he looked worried.

‘Yeh I need the toilet’ I looked at him and made some weird connection with him that only we knew, he continued to look at me and as i was walking down the corridor towards the toilet he pretended to make conversation with the officer who was behind me but was in fact looking at my face as i mouthed the words CALL JANE, only he knew what that meant but I repeated the same thing all the way down the corridor until we reached the bathroom. 

As I went into the bathroom I prayed that Dave knew what I had said and what it meant, it would make the difference between staying in the cells overnight or coming back home to my bed that night.

I came out of the bathroom and looked at Dave, his slight nod and the smile made me realise that he knew what I had intended and he was in control. 

The journey from the office to Paddington Green Police station took just under two hours and apart from idle conversation between the two officers there was nothing else said.

On arrival at the station we entered into what seemed like a secret alleyway which was shielded with shutters, a code was entered on a side panel as we drove up and the shutters noisily began to open. We drove into a large car park and the car was parked in a reserved spot and the officer that was siting in the back of the car with me disembarked and made his way to my door. He opened it and I got out and, feeling somewhat relieved that we had finally arrived after that drive. 

I still couldn't figure out why they had decided to bring me to a station that was so far from home, but who was I to question them.

We walked through the car park to a large grey metal door, the officer punched a   combination into the worn out looking keypad. The door opened and I was led into a grubby looking area where there was a long desk with approximately 8 men bustling behind it, filing, talking on the phone and ‘booking people in’. 

It made me laugh - I was going to be one of those people, I was taken over to the desk and asked my name ‘Kate Longwood ’ I said, 

‘Ahh the infamous Kate Longwood’ the voice came from behind the desk and we all looked over  at the officer, confused.  He made me sound like a mafia hit girl.

The custody officer said ‘Your solicitor has driven us absolutely insane’.  The arresting officer looked at me in shock and asked how that could possibly have been the case as they had not allowed me to speak to anyone.

I smiled because I knew that the last minute idea of going back into the office and mouthing the words to Dave had worked. 

As I stood waiting to to be booked in, the phone rang and the officer looked over to me and told me it was my solicitor and that he wanted to speak to me. I took the phone and held back tears.

‘How are you?’ the voice was familiar and I knew it was a solicitor that I had worked for in the past.

‘I’m fine’ obviously I wasn't but what else was I to say?

‘OK,You know the drill, don't say anything, these phones are tapped, I am going to ask you questions and I want you to say either yes or no’ I knew all this but I also knew that he was probably aware that my mind was all over the place.

‘OK’

‘Have they treated you ok’

‘Yes’

‘Have they told you why you have been arrested’

‘Yes’

‘Do you understand what they are saying’

‘Yes’

‘Have they shown you anything at all, papers, photos anything’

‘No’

‘Ok, Chris is on his way, don't say anything until he gets there’

‘Ok’

I handed the phone back to the officer.

Having been ‘booked in’ I was led into a cell.

Tough Old Me

I opened the shower door and grabbed the towel, dried myself and wrapped the towel around me. I opened the bathroom door and walked into my bedroom with the officer following and put on the clothes that i had prepared the night before for my day at the office. I tied my hair back, put moisturiser on and told her i was ready to go. The officer opened the bedroom door and called for her colleagues who had all congregated in the lounge, one by one they came into the hallway and had a conversation between them as to who was going to go where. I zoned out.

A male officer approached me and pulled out handcuffs from his back pocket

‘do we really need to do that? I'm hardly going to go anywhere am i?’ i looked at the female officer and she nodded and the male officer returned the cuffs to his pocket. We walked out of the flat in convey and i was directed to sit in the back of a large car people carrier i think , as i was making my way to the car i heard the officer mention my previous firm and discussing directions. 

‘why are we going to Williams and Co?’ i looked at the officer who rolled her eyes at me

‘we’re going to Williams and Co to collect any files that are relevant to the case’ she seemed pissed off that she had to explain something to me.

‘well your not going to find anything there, i moved offices 6 months ago and none of my files are at Williams and Co, they are stored at my office’ i realised that the officers had obviously not done their homework because the look of shock on both the officers face was a treat.

‘which is where?’ she said taking her phone out of her pocket

‘Notting Hill, ill direct you if it makes it easier’ i smiled cause i realised that they didn't have a clue what a fuck up they had made and would now have to call all the people dealing with this case and explain that they had missed a pretty vital point. They were now having to rely on me and would look pretty stupid when they had their debrief. The officer made a few calls on her phone and then returned to the car. 

What the police didn't know was that although the files were stored at my office i didn't want them knocking the door of my parents house, getting them up and taking my dad to the office. 2 months earlier my mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and the last thing i wanted was for them to go to her house and for her stress more than she already was.

I directed the officers to my office in Notting Hill and as they parked in the bay across the office i realised that my business partner would be arriving at my flat to pick me up to bring me to the office and my secretary would be arriving at the office to start her day. I had been refused permission to leave him a note to explain my absence and knew that he would be confused and pissed off that i hadn't waited for him. My secretary on the other hand had a nervous disposition and i knew that she would either burst out in tears of she would have a nervous breakdown. I asked the officers if i would be able to tell them both when they arrived at the office what had happened, they agreed that i could do this.

On entering the office i realised that i did not have the key to the outside storage unit, where the files had been stored and duly informed the officer who muttered something under her breath. The door opened and it was the other officers who had followed us to the office, they went into my office and started unplugging the computer and transporting it to their cars. I didn't have the energy to ask why and by this stage actually didn't care. Logic would tell you that the alleged offence took place at another office; this office had only been open for 6 months; the alleged offence took place 2 years prior, so why would the computers be of any relevance? no doubt it was what the police manuals instructed them to do and they were going to follow the rules to the letter.

at 9.10am the office door opened and my business partner walked in,He looked very confused but relieved that i was there. 

I stood up , ‘Ive been arrested and this is the police and they want to search the office’ i talked fast but precise as i knew that i had only been allowed to say the necessaries and not anything more.

‘ok’  The anger  that had been etched on his face had turned to concern ‘ are you OK? whats this all about?’

‘its nothing to do with this office its do with......’ my conversation was abruptly terminated by the officer who said that certain information could not be disclosed.

Dave walked into my office where all the officers had congregated and were discussing the computer system and why there was no information stored on it, how they could enter it and whether it was some highly technical system that was installed to protect the information. I wasn't allowed to enter the room or to have any discussions with the ‘technical team’ but had they asked i would have explained that the computer system was remote and was entered via a password but was done in this manner to save cost and because it was the new technology that all efficient law firms used. 

Dave walked into the room and explained the system and with their authority contacted our ‘computer host’ for them to provide any information that the police required.

Having removed all the files that they required and the computers from the office, the officers left the building leaving me with the female officer and the officer that had driven us to the office. 

The door opened again and it was my secretary and as predicted completely freaked out,

‘whats happening?’ she looked as thought she was going to faint and again i stood up and reeled off the same statement as i had done with my business partner.

I wasn't given the opportunity to talk to her or to tell her everything was going to be OK,

‘right we are gonna make our way to the station now’ the officer said standing up

‘which station are you taking her to?’ Dave asked, he was standing by the door and i knew that he was going to make his way down to the station the moment we left.

‘dont know yet, Paddington or Hammersmith i think’ the officer did not make any eye contact with Dave but instructed me to stand up and ushered me towards the door.

‘Why are you taking her so far? well i need to to know where she is going to be cause ill have to pick her up’ he was stern and authoritative which seemed to unnerve the officer. The two officers looked at one another and the female officer nodded to the male officer

‘we’re taking her to Hammersmith Police Station’ and as soon as that was said i was lead out of the office and into the police car.

As i sat in the back seat of the police car i knew that i had to do something, i had to let Dave know to call an old friend who I had worked with at a criminal law firm to alert them to what had happened and to instruct them to send someone to the station. My head was a fuzz but i knew what had to be done.

And The Nightmare Continues

The tiredness, the confusion, everything floated away as the fighter in me emerged and I could hear and see everything.

‘Police, don’t move, you are under arrest’

‘OK’ I said strangely calm

I took a step back and led them into the flat, we went into the lounge and sat down on the sofa. Thoughts were whizzing through my mind but I remained calm,  I didn't know what this was all about and until I knew there was nothing that I could say or do.

‘You are under arrest for stealing a house, money laundering and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice’ said the officer, I assume she was in charge as she had done all the talking since I had opened the door , she continued with the police caution. she explained that the officers were now going to search my premises.

Stealing a house? money laundering? conspiracy to pervert the course of justice? I had no idea what she was talking about but knew from my  experience at a criminal law law firm the best thing was remain tight lipped until i had a solicitor present. 

The search of my flat began, the officers divided themselves between the 4 rooms which my flat consisted of, the bedroom, lounge, bathroom and kitchen. I remained seated on the sofa while they proceeded with the search there was nothing I could do and I knew that there was nothing for them to find so it was best just to leave them to it.

After 1 hour and 45 minutes of searching a one bedroom flat and not finding anything the officers conceded that there was no place left to look. 

‘You are under arrest and we will now need to go to your office and retrieve any files that we think necessary and then you will be taken to the station and questioned.’ the female office was standing in front of me looking despondent that they had not found anything but no doubt convinced that something that could link me to whatever it was that they thought I was involved in was safely stored at the office. 

‘I want to have a shower and change’ I said firmly

I was still sat on the sofa with my pyjamas on and knew that if the idea was to take me to the office and to the station I would be out most of the day and therefore i wanted to be showered and changed before I left my flat.

‘you can but ill have to be in the bathroom with you’ the female officer said, not amused by my request and hoping that i would object.

‘thats fine I have no issue with that’ I said as I got up from the sofa and made my way to the bathroom. The officer followed me into the bathroom and stood in the corner, I undressed and stepped into the shower. As the warm water sprayed onto my face I closed my eyes and prayed that this had all been a horrible nightmare and I would wake up in my bed. i opened my eyes and looked into the corner where the female officer had planted herself and she was still there.  It wasn't a nightmare it was real.

When it all started

I walked into the solicitors office knowing that I would bump into all my old colleagues and that there would be that awkward moment of trying to explain what was happening and why I was there.

The first person I saw when I walked into the main lobby was the senior partner, we did the obligatory pleasantries and I was sent downstairs into the boardroom. No doubt this was to avoid me bumping into anyone and saving me from embarrassing questions.

The police had still not produced standard disclosure, so there was very little that I could be advised on. I was asked to explain exactly what had happened at my flat and the police station on the day of the arrest. They explained that they had the notes from the solicitor who had attended the police station but they needed to know my account of events and needed to know all the details.

I didn't have a clue where to start!! I was told to start from when I opened the door to the police.

So, here goes - 

I heard the faint sound of my front door buzzer as I turned in my bed, the buzzing  continued and in my sleepy haze I reached for my mobile phone from my bedside table and looked at the time, 6.45am. 

Who the hell would be calling at this time of the morning?

I knew it couldn't be the postman, he wasn't that efficient, I tried to remember if I had blocked any of the other residents with my car, no, the car had been taken by my business partner the previous night as there had been no parking. It must be a mistake, the person must have the wrong buzzer. 

There was no way I was going to get out of my bed at 6.45am to direct them to the right buzzer. I turned over and pulled the covers over my head.

I must have been entering a deep sleep when I heard knocking on my front door, it wasn't so much knocking it was a loud thundering banging. There was no choice, I had to open it,the person had managed to get through the communal  front door so there must have been a problem or an issue of some sort.

I walked to the front door still in my sleepy haze but angry that I had been woken up at such a ridiculous time and opened the door.

In the corridor stood a woman and what looked like 4 men, as soon as the door had opened they began shouting, confusing things like ‘open the door’ ‘dont move’ and they were all walking into the flat. I admit, I was dumb struck, I didn't cry or shout or actually do anything, I stood still urging my brain to get into gear. It was a strange sensation, I felt as though I was underwater, i couldn't hear anything, everything was a jumble. 

And The Nightmare Begins

On the way home we did not speak, there was no conversation, just silence. It was what I needed. My mind was a mess and I didn't want to answer questions or discuss anything. 


On arriving home I showered, put my pyjamas on and climbed into bed, by the time I had done this it was 5.30am and I knew that I had to be up in the morning to go to the office to make sure everything was OK. Whilst I was thinking about what I had to do at the office I must have dosed off because the next thing I knew it was 8.40am.


I lay in the bed staring at the ceiling for about 30 mins and the events of the previous day played over and over again in my mind. It was real, it did happen and I was now officially on bail. I knew that if I lay there any longer I would drive myself insane, so I got out of bed and got ready to go to the office.


At 10.20 I arrived at the office and could see from the staff's faces that they were shocked to see me but most of all their need to know what had happened. The police had gone to the office looking for files and no doubt they had been traumatised by the whole thing.


I instructed my PA to go and get 8 coffees and then called everyone into my office.


I explained what had happened and allowed everyone to ask whatever questions they wanted, some were productive questions and some were more emotional questions, which I explained as I understood the situation.
The whole exercise of having 'the chat' bought to mind some issues that I had to deal with;
1. Calling the SRA to find out if I needed to notify them of what had happened.
2. To instruct solicitors.
3. To ensure that there was someone who was in place to take over the practise if I were to be charged.
4. What would happen to the practise if I was charged and convicted.


The questions were endless but I also had to remember that I had an office to run. My task of putting the minds of my staff at rest had been successful, my mind on the other hand was still racing around. I hadn't told my parents, my mother had just bee diagnosed with cancer and there was no way I was going to put her through this and my father was 60 years old, it would all have been too much for them.


As soon as the last of the members of staff had left I sat at my desk and called the SRA. I explained the situation to them and asked them for advice as to what my next step should be. They had no idea. The conversation went on for 40 minutes and the advice changed 4 or 5 times; I was advised to write in and explain what had happened; not to do anything until I was charged; getting another solicitor to join the firm, just in case? Basically, they didn't have a clue what they should be saying and it was a disgrace.


I was in turmoil myself but had to keep my mind strong because I had a job to do but I needed answers so that I did the right thing and the one organisation that should have been able to do this didn't have a clue.


I had no choice but to instruct solicitors (obviously, at my own cost) to deal with all these issues.


The saga continued and I could not see any light at the end of this very long and dark tunnel.