Thread by @c0unse1

I have just concluded a nasty kidnap trial. In essence, it was all gang oriented with the victim kidnapped, beaten and humiliated , having stolen drugs from a violent London gang.

My client was convicted along with his two co-defendants.

A brief thread 1/9

Throughout the trial my client demonstrated a bravado and nonchalance, almost a ‘don’t give a shit’ attitude. He displayed little awareness of the seriousness of the matter. He treated his legal team with little respect.

My client is only 18 years old.

2/9

Following conviction I went down to see him in the cells. It’s never an easy conversation. There is little left to say. As I waited to be let in I wondered how he was taking the verdict. I imagined it would be with profanities and arguments.

3/9

In the cells, he had his head atop his arms, resting on the table. He was sobbing his eyes out. Quite literally, inconsolable. The gangster façade had dropped. He was just an 18 year old boy, looking at 10 years plus. Lost.

4/9

It isn’t always easy doing our job. The client is not one obviously deserving of sympathy. On the crown case he showed little sympathy or mercy towards his victims. There is no logic why I should feel sorry for him, yet I do.

5/9

As I left to the sound of his crying, I couldn’t help but think as to the life chances he had, and those that I had. Role models, education, prospects are something he never had.
I’m not saying there but for the grace of god go I, equally, people aren't born inherently bad.
6/9

Glorious wins in court make for nice war/Twitter stories, but the day to day losses less so. Ours is a tough job. Emotionally draining.

7/9

Tomorrow, I will start to prep my next case. A late return on a rape. We are expected to brush away the trauma of one case and pick up the next. That’s what we do. That’s the job.

8/9

The pay is demeaning, the hours long, and the thanks few and far between. However, what we do matters.

This story has no moral, no pithy ending. I tried a case, the client lost. I feel drained, he feels far worse.

#justanotherday

9/9