In the last 12 months, we have successfully removed 6 different arrest records from the Police National computer (PNC) related to rape allegations.

Rape and sexual assault are one of the most serious crimes anyone can be accused of, and the stigma that is attached to sexual offences is particularly damaging.

The police have an important job in ensuring genuine sexual offenders are arrested and prosecuted. However, sometimes the wrong person gets arrested, or false allegations are made. In these circumstances we are here to help, and we will provide you with robust representation to give you the best possible chance of having your arrest record deleted.

Being wrongfully arrested and accused of rape, along with the practical implications the arrest may have to your employment prospects or ability to travel overseas, can lead to profound emotional and psychological trauma. We have represented many clients where it has taken months, or even years, to build up the strength to face getting their arrest records deleted. Many clients find it extremely traumatic to talk about their experiences, and reliving their arrest and the police investigation takes a toll on them. We understand these experiences, and we will deal with your case with the utmost sensitivity, understanding and care.

The stigma attached to rape and sexual assault allegations often results in feelings of shame, isolation, and fear, even when the charges are unfounded. Individuals may experience anxiety, depression, and a loss of trust in the justice system, these feelings will be compounded and greatly magnified if the allegations reached the public domain.

The ripple effects of a false allegation, even where there has been no media exposure, can be devastating. In the home, relationships with family members may be strained, leading to feelings of isolation or emotional alienation.

At school, a child may face whispers, exclusion, or bullying from peers, affecting their focus and ability to thrive academically – we have represented a number of younger people whose A-Levels and GCSEs were greatly impacted by false allegations, and the fallout it caused at school.

Similarly, at work, colleagues or employers may regard a person accused of rape with suspicion, potentially leading to job instability, missed opportunities, or even dismissal. These impacts are compounded by the psychological toll, as the individual often battles anxiety, shame, and the fear of social and/or professional rejection.

A false allegation of rape or sexual assault can profoundly disrupt personal relationships. Within the home, it can strain trust and communication, as family members may struggle to reconcile the accusations with their perception of the individual. Tensions may arise, with some family members possibly doubting the person’s innocence or feeling ashamed by the association, leading to emotional distance and conflict.

In personal relationships beyond the home, such as friendships or romantic partners, the stigma of the allegation can create barriers. Friends may withdraw, unsure of the truth, and potential or current romantic partners may question the individual’s integrity, regardless of the absence of a conviction. The person accused may become fearful of developing future relationships, afraid that another false allegation could be made. This erosion of trust can lead to isolation, making it difficult to maintain or build meaningful connections.

Clients have reported to us that the fear of disclosure or judgment caused by the retention of an arrest record weighs heavily on their shoulders. Clearing an arrest record from the PNC can be a positive step towards moving on from a false rape allegation, and can help you rebuild your reputation and confidence. Deleting an arrest record for a false or incorrect rape or sexual assault allegation is a crucial step in reclaiming your dignity and sense of trust in the legal system, ensuring that the shadow of wrongful accusations no longer hinders any future opportunities.

In the UK, arrest records for all recordable offences, including rape and sexual assault, are retained on the Police National Computer (PNC) effectively forever. This means that even if charges are dropped, or no conviction is secured by the CPS, the record of the arrest remains until the individual reaches 100 years of age – unless the police agree to delete the record.

The reason why the police can keep an arrest record, effectively for the length of a person’s life, is to support public safety and law enforcement. The Government has effectively adopted a “what if” or “no smoke without fire” approach to PNC records – namely although an arrest record might not say you are guilty, the police want to keep these records “just in case”, namely just in case you were guilty, and you are accused of anything else in the future. Many countries around the world do not follow the UK’s approach, and have strict rules about when records should be deleted, including convictions. While some countries, it might be said, delete too much data, the UK is one of, if not the most, strict nation when it comes to the retention of criminal records data.

Arrest records, although there is no finding of guilt, can be disclosed on a discretionary basis on an Enhanced DBS Certificate. For more details, please see here: Enhanced DBS Certificates.

A rape or sexual assault arrest record, even if there is no conviction, can sometimes significantly impact immigration, citizenship, and visa applications. Immigration authorities often require applicants to disclose any arrests or charges, as these are considered when assessing an individual’s character and eligibility. The USA, for example, for certain immigration applications, including ESTAs, will ask about “arrests”, namely not just police cautions and convictions.

An arrest record for rape, if it must be disclosed according to a country’s immigration rules, will lead to additional scrutiny and possible outright denial. If immigration authorities believe the allegation poses a potential risk to public safety then visas, residency permits and citizenship may be refused.

In the last 12 months we have had arrest records for rape removed from the PNC for 6 separate clients. As rape is an extremely serious offence, in order to have this type of arrest record removed, the police will need to be persuaded that the person was not guilty and/or that the police made a mistake, or that there are some very persuasive public interest reasons why the record should be removed.

For this client, he had been accused of rape of a 16-year-old girl. The client was himself a teenager and strenuously maintained that the allegation was false. We were able to show compelling evidence that the allegation was indeed false, and that the complainant had lied.

This client was an international businessman with a very successful career and was accused of rape after a date with someone he met on a dating app. The client was astounded to be accused of rape the day after the date, and was subjected to humiliating and invasive searches and sampling. After being left under investigation for 3 months, the case was dropped. The client had endured significant stress and anxiety throughout the investigation, and started suffering from depression for the first time in his life. We prepared a clearly presented and well organised application to the police that showed that the complainant had lied, and had been trying to extract money from the client.

This client was again a successful city professional, who again met a woman on a popular dating app. The morning after their date, the police kicked down our client’s front door, and arrested him, accusing him of rape. He was subjected to humiliating searches and sampling. Fortunately the case was dropped only weeks after the initial allegation; we later discovered that the complainant had dropped her claims only hours after first making them. We went through all the evidence step by step, texts messages and voice messages, photos, CCTV, and other digital evidence that clearly showed that the complainant had fabricated the allegations. As with our client mentioned above, the client had also developed anxiety and depression in the aftermath of his arrest, and it took him months to recover from the impact of the false allegation. The removal of the arrest record helped him move on from the incident.

This client came to us 7 years after he had been falsely accused – the allegations had unfortunately taken a heavy toll on his life, and had derailed his previous plans for his future. The rape allegation was made by his then girlfriend, when he was in his final years of his A-Levels. The allegations completely disrupted his studies. It was only after years of stress and unhappiness, due to the allegation, that his family approached us for help. Although the allegation was historic, we were able to gather together evidence that strongly indicated the allegation was false. Although we were unable to rewrite history for the client, he was very happy that the police agreed to remove his arrest record, and he finally felt he was able to move on from the false allegation.

We were approached by this client’s family – their son was 16 and he had been accused of rape. The trauma of the allegation had brought their son to the verge of suicide, with his parents keeping a vigil over him at night for months. Unfortunately the police had arrested the client at a public event, in front of hundreds of his peers. At school he was bullied and taunted and his academic performance plummeted. The client was kept under investigation for months – it was only after DNA evidence completely exonerated him that the matter was dropped. The client had been improperly accused, and had been the victim of careless policing, with the police clearly arresting the wrong person. The police promptly agreed to delete the arrest record from the PNC,  and they also removed him from their local police systems.

For this client, he was accused of sexual assault by penetration – these allegations related to a consensual BDSM interaction. The client had been falsely accused, and the arrest record threatened to impact his immigration and work opportunities in North America. We presented a well-researched and carefully assembled package of evidence to the police, detailing numerous social media posts, messages, and witness statements. The evidence clearly showed the complainant had lied, and had made the allegations due to ulterior motives.

Wrongful arrest records for serious allegations, such as rape and sexual assault, can have a lasting impact on an individual’s life, affecting their reputation, opportunities, and emotional well-being. We have significant expertise and experience in getting rape and sexual assault arrest records removed. We understand the unique challenges and stressors our clients face, and we are committed to providing tailored and robust legal representation in each case.

Please get in touch today to discuss your case, and to arrange an initial consultation.

Unfortunately we do not offer legal aid, but we charge reasonable fixed fees.

When is a police caution spent is a question you may ask if you are applying for a new job. The short answer to this question is that a caution is spent immediately.

This means that your caution will be spent as soon as you receive it, and will not be revealed on a basic DBS certificate.

The only exception to this rule is if you received a conditional caution. If you received a conditional caution it will become spent as soon as the conditions expire, up to a maximum of three months.

All will be well for your job application, if all you need is a Basic DBS certificate. The issue for you to determine will be what type of certificate do you actually need?

If you hope to work in a regulated role, you will need either a standard or an enhanced DBS certificate.

If you work in a regulated role in finance, accounting, or the law you will need a standard DBS certificate.

If you work with children or vulnerable adults, then you will need an enhanced DBS certificate.

If you need either an enhanced or standard DBS certificate, the issue for you will not be “when is a caution spent” but “when does a police caution become protected”.

Please see here, for information about when a police caution will become protected.

Some cautions will never become protected, and even when a caution becomes protected, it will be held on the Police National Computer (PNC) until you reach 100 years of age.

Along with causing employment difficulties, a police caution can also cause significant issues with respect to immigration.

For details on how a caution will impact overseas immigration, please see our article here: What is a Police Certificate?

If you have a police caution, and it is causing you issues, then please get in touch to discuss your case.

We are the leading practice specialising in police record deletion and DBS appeals.

We have had hundreds of successful cases, having police cautions and other records deleted with police forces across England and Wales.

Due to our extensive experience, we will be able to advise from the outset whether you have a good chance of success or not.

In all cases we offer reasonable fixed fees. Please get in touch today to arrange an initial consultation.

Our client was issued a police caution for theft. The allegation was a very low level incident of “theft by finding” during a University night out with friends.

The client and his friends had taken an item of property they had thought was discarded. The client had seen the item lying in what appeared to be some rubbish, and had not dishonestly taken it.

The incident was however reported by the police, and the client and his friends were investigated. They were all accused of theft, and due to a fear of being taken to court, the client, and his friends, accepted police cautions.

The client felt he had  denied the allegation, but just agreed to the police caution to escape from the police. He was told the police caution would have no impact on his future.

The client came to learn after the caution was issued that it would cause him serious issues when applying for a Green Card to the Untied States. A caution for theft is considered a conviction for “moral turpitude” and was advised by US attorneys to challenge the police caution.

The caution would be indirectly indefinitely disclosed on an ACRO Police Certificate as a “no live trace” disclosure. A “no live trace” disclosure will tell a foreign nation that the person has a criminal record, and will, for countries such as the USA, China, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Singapore, precipitate a request for further details about that person’s background.

We obtained the records from the police and were quickly able to prepare a deletion application. We argued that the police caution had been unfairly issued, and that the caution ought to be expunged from the PNC.

The police responded by completely deleting the client’s record from the PNC, and also deleting his DNA and fingerprints.

We have extensive experience in applying for the deletion of police cautions in relation to many different police forces.

Along with applying for the deletion of police cautions, we are also able to assist with the deletion of PNC arrest records, community resolutions, harassment PINs, Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs), biometric data (including custody images) and local police records held on the Police National Database (PND).

We can also assist with challenging DBS disclosures on both standard and enhanced DBS certificates. Our lawyers also have extensive experience in challenging DBS barring decisions; both appealing existing barrings, or resisting a new barring application.

We are also able to help if you are being investigated by a regulator including the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the General Optical Council (GOC), the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the General Dental Council (GDC), the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), and the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

In most cases we offer fixed fees, unfortunately we do not offer legal aid.

Please get in touch to arrange an initial consultation

We have again been able to persuade the police to delete a caution for affray from the client’s Police National Computer (PNC) record.

The client worked in education and so required an enhanced DBS check. As the caution was for affray, it meant that it would forever be disclosed on both a standard and enhanced DBS check.

The caution was holding the client back from progressing in his career, and was finding that promising job offers were being withdrawn once it came to the background check phase of the recruitment process.

The caution had effectively resulted in the client accepting low paying teaching posts, with little prospects for promotion.

After we reviewed the matter we were able to see that the police caution had been wrongly issued. The police had essentially issued a caution for affray where, at the very most, only an allegation of common assault was made out.

We argued that there were no members of the public that could have been caused fear for their safely, and importantly, that the incident had not occurred in a public place.

We prepared out submissions, setting out our findings to the police. Within a few months the police came back to us, stating that they had deleted he caution from the PNC, and the client’s DNA and fingerprints.

Now that the police caution has been deleted, the client’s enhanced DBS check is clear, and he is able to progress his career successfully.

We have had many police cautions deleted over the years. We exclusively deal with criminal records, disciplinary, and DBS cases, and so we have developed extensive experience and knowledge in this niche area of law. We believe we have the most experience in this area of law compared to any other legal practice.

We care about our clients and their cases, and we know the devastating impact a minor criminal record can have on someone’s life.

We have helped hundreds of people clear their records, or challenge DBS certificates, and if there is way to help in your case, we believe we are the best lawyers to help you.

We have recently had a possession of cocaine caution deleted for our client. The client wanted to change profession into a regulated sector and was concerned the caution would cause him some issues in securing a job.

A cocaine caution will be retained on the PNC until a data subject is 100 years of age, it will be disclosed on a standard and enhanced DBS certificate for 6 years (and possibly longer on an DBS enhanced check) and will indefinitely be disclosed on an ACRO Police Certificate via a “No Live Trace” disclosure.

After receiving our client’s instruction, we promptly prepared an application to the police, and successfully persuaded them to remove the client’s caution.

Now that the caution is deleted the client is now clear from the PNC and his DBS Certificate and also his ACRO Police Certificate are clear.

We have had another client’s police caution deleted. The client had been issued a police caution for theft.

The client had been issued an a caution for shoplifting a number of years ago.

The client had forgotten to pay for a small item from a well known shop, being distracted by her young child. On her way out of the shop the client was detained by the security staff. The security staff did not listen to her explanations and the police were summoned.

She was taken to the police station, misled about the impact of the caution, and decided to admit the allegation, and accept the caution in order to escape from police custody.

The client had tormented herself for many years about the caution, regretting her decision to accept it, and felt the caution was an unfair black mark against her name.

On reviewing the police’s evidence, we concluded that there were some material errors in her case, and so we drafted a deletion application to the police.

Within several months the police acknowledged the caution had been unfairly issued, and agreed to the expungement of the client’s record.

The caution was completely deleted, as was the client’s PNC record, fingerprints and DNA records.

The client now has a completely clear record on the PNC and is “no trace” on an ACRO Police Certificate.