R v WG

Facts

The applicant, referred to as WG, was accused of a series of sexual offences committed against his stepdaughter. He was tried before a jury in the Crown Court at Caernarfon, presided over by HHJ Parry, and was represented by counsel at trial. The prosecution relied on the evidence of the stepdaughter, on text messages passing between the applicant and her which were said to be sexually inappropriate, and on the fact that the applicant had viewed pornographic sites — lawful sites, viewing which involved no offence — with a theme of sexual relations between a stepfather and a stepdaughter, the messages and that interest being put to the jury as evidence of a sexual interest supporting the prosecution case. The applicant gave evidence himself and called others on his behalf; the central issue was whether the jury were sure that each allegation on the indictment was true. On 20 November 2024 the jury convicted him by majority verdict of offences including sexual activity with a child family member, assault by penetration, inciting a child family member to engage in sexual activity, rape and attempted rape. He applied for leave to appeal against conviction and for an extension of time. The Single Judge refused leave on the papers, and the applicant renewed his application to the full court, which sat as a non-counsel application.