To those who experienced sexual misconduct whilst @TrinityHallCamb; You have been treated appallingly. I'm sorry that the college ignored red flags & instead appear to have allowed 'acquittal tea parties' in their grounds after he was acquitted of sexually assaulting me in 2005.
@TrinityHallCamb The first trial was ruled a mis-trial and the jury discharged after a surprise witness for the defence turned up on the Monday morning of the second week - it went part-heard over the weekend. There were reporting restrictions in place when this happened, I've inquired with...
@TrinityHallCamb ...Cambridge Crown Court, and they were unable to tell me whether reporting restrictions were still in place, therefore I believe I'm free now to talk about the means by which the first jury in my trial were dismissed.
@TrinityHallCamb On the Monday morning, a new witness turned up, and the QC for Peter Hutchinson asked the judge to hear his important new evidence. This new witness told the judge (jury were not in court at this point), that he had been at the house of the mother of one of the jurors...
@TrinityHallCamb ...over the weekend - with the trial part-heard - as they happened to be friends and he also happened to be a friend of Dr Peter Hutchinson. Now, this new witness was very worried, quite rightly, that justice should take its rightful course, and so felt it was important that....
@TrinityHallCamb ... the court should know that whilst he happened to drop in at the house of one of the juror's mothers that weekend whilst the trial was part-heard, this mother told him that...
@TrinityHallCamb ... the jury had 'already made up their mind' (I'm quoting from memory - this was obviously a very significant time for me). Obviously, this is not how jury trials are supposed to work. Juries must hear all the evidence before they deliberate...
@TrinityHallCamb ...and at this point in my trial, the closing speeches for both the prosecution and the defence, and the judge's 'summing up' still remained to take place. The jury had heard from me, from Peter Hutchinson, the police and other witnesses at this point....
@TrinityHallCamb ...but now there was information that suggested potential jury misconduct, i.e. that the jury 'had made their mind up' - the inference being in court by the defence being that he had already been found guilty and that a member of the jury had discussed the case with their...
@TrinityHallCamb .. mother over the weekend. At the time, this trial was being reported in the national press with summaries of the evidence being heard day and was quite high profile...
@TrinityHallCamb ...So, the judge thanked the witness and brought in the relevant juror. The juror was asked by the judge whether they (I remember them and felt very sorry for them) had discussed the case with their mother. They denied it....
@TrinityHallCamb ... The judge thanked the juror and sent them back to the jury room. The judge then considered his options, I can't remember whether he retired to do so. Shortly after came the decision...
@TrinityHallCamb ...The Judge understandably ruled that it was a mistrial because of the possibility that the trial would no longer be fair. The juror had denied it to the judge. The jury were dismissed about 10 minutes later and the judge ruled that the retrial should....
@TrinityHallCamb ...take place outside Cambridge. I was gutted and exhausted. I had been well supported by family, friends and colleagues. I was a probationer PC in the Met at the time, and went on to serve until 2016....
@TrinityHallCamb ...I went on to become a detective and worked on many jury trials, I never saw the like of what happened to this first trial of Peter Hutchinson in Cambridge in 2006....
@TrinityHallCamb ...To Peter Hutchinson's credit, he acted with some dignity in this trial. His defence strategy was not to call me a liar, a fantasist or a provocateuse. He basically defended himself by saying that the gin went to his head, I was 'irresistible'...
@TrinityHallCamb ... and that somehow despite his intellect, he failed to realise how serious it was that he was being interviewed by police on tape and under caution because they seemed so nice...
@TrinityHallCamb ... and that he 'just couldn't see it as sexual assault'. What actually happened that he went for me three times, I said no and batted him away after the first bum-grab.... but in that first trial, he didn't instruct his QC to try to assassinate my character...
@TrinityHallCamb ... he didn't make that mistake on the second trial and my 1.5 day cross-examination started with 'Miss Hinchliff, define for me 'leading someone up the garden path...'...
@TrinityHallCamb ... and went downhill from there - I was excused of exaggerating, I was accused of having confused other incidences, I was accused of having led him on... for a day and a half of cross examination....
@TrinityHallCamb ... he learnt a lot from the first trial and made none of the mistakes he did first time round, such as agreeing with what he said in his police interview, 'If she says it, then it must be true...' was one I particularly remember...
@TrinityHallCamb .. the QC went for my jugular and it worked, he was acquitted 10-2. Anyway, he did so by saying that he had such a rep for 'patting' bottoms that any of what he did to me came under the various pots of a) my fault b) my brain confusing me or c) my exaggeration...
@TrinityHallCamb ... I reported it to police at the time because he did have such a rep for being lascivious, and that if I let him 'get away' with doing that to me, as serving police officer, what would he do to current undergraduates....
@TrinityHallCamb ... I would have forgiven him making 'a pass' at me, and then stopping when it was obvious that there was zero reciprocal sexual attraction. He didn't - he had no regard for consent...
@TrinityHallCamb ... the college have acted appallingly and I actually cannot fathom how they are treated current/recent students how they are. I had the time of my life @TrinityHallCamb - so many brilliant friends I've now had for decades and amazing memories both old and new....
@TrinityHallCamb ... but, oh my god, the basics, the leadership, the culture, the decision-making, the safeguarding, the integrity, the strategy, so so so much very, very wrong going on @TrinityHallCamb ....no wonder you didn't want to speak to me @TrinHallMaster....
@TrinityHallCamb @TrinHallMaster ...This story isn't about me, but I wanted to put out there the background of the mistrial in 2006. It was extraordinary. I stand with everyone who is working to make #HE safe and inclusive. I thank @The_Crox for covering this decision & the work that @David_Batty has also done..
@TrinityHallCamb @TrinHallMaster @The_Crox @David_Batty ...Obviously, if someone can prove to me that reporting restrictions are still in place about this I'll face the consequences for publishing it here. The main reason for which was in order to enable a safe trial later that year... which happened...
@TrinityHallCamb @TrinHallMaster @The_Crox @David_Batty ...Right, I've got birthday cakes to ice and a twin 8yo cricket party for 20 absolutely legendary Y3s to prepare for. Thank you for reading this far. If you're in a position to not let this BS stand, I urge you to act.
