Robbery victim too honest ... so judge halts trial

The case against a man accused of robbing a woman in a terrifying gang attack was thrown out of court because his victim was deemed to be "too believable" in the witness box.

Judge Jamie Tabor, QC, praised driving instructor Denise Dawson, 36, for being "honest, utterly decent and brave" in giving evidence against 20-year-old Liam Perks.

But he stopped the trial on the grounds that her good character would unfairly sway the jury against the defendant, a self-confessed burglar.



Mrs Dawson, a mother of two, was repeatedly punched in the face when her car was surrounded by a gang of youths while she gave a student a lesson on a Bristol housing estate.

She identified Perks as the man who had leaned into the car and rummaged through the glove compartment while her laptop and mobile phone were snatched.

But the judge halted the trial at Bristol crown court on its first day because it was based solely on the victim's word against the defendant's - and she was too credible.