Tuesday 28 June 2016

Change of plea in Guildford sex assault case after interpreter error

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/change-plea-guildford-sex-assault-11536087 
28 Jun 2016

Change of plea in Guildford sex assault case after interpreter error
A man accused of two sex attacks in Guildford has changed his plea in relation to one of the allegations.
Cirilio Marciano Dos Santos, 23, of Barrack Road, Guildford, pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge of sexual assault following an incident at Guildford railway station on May 3, 2015.
However, at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (June 27), he changed his plea to not guilty.
James Bloomer, defending, said his client had mistakenly admitted the alleged offence two weeks ago because he was unable to understand his Indonesian interpreter.
Mr Dos Santos’s trial, which was due to start this week, has been postponed until August 8 to enable an interpreter specialising in the defendant’s East Timor dialect to be hired.
Mr Bloomer said at the previous hearing, the interpreter on that occasion had spoken a different dialect to that of Mr Dos Santos.
“My client had difficulty understanding," he said. "It was a language with which he is not familiar."
Mr Dos Santos has previously denied a second count of assault by penetration relating to an incident in the alleyway between Woodbridge Road and Woodbridge Meadows on June 29 last year.

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