Case Studies

The resource centre is a continually developing area of the website which will be of interest to professionals in the justice system and members of the public.

The following studies illustrate some of the work of intermediaries and are a composite based on a range of cases. IfJ's policy is not to comment on case conclusions and court case verdicts in order to reflect the impartiality of intermediaries. 

The case studies can be searched by type of case and/or age category for relevance. 

Intermediaries work on a wide range of cases which have included the following:

  • murders witnessed by very young children and adults who have a learning disability
  • the sexual abuse of children by organized and disorganized networks of abusers
  • the sexual abuse of children by a relative
  • the sexual abuse of adults with a physical disability
  • the sexual abuse of adults with mental health issues
  • the attempted murder of elderly people with dementia
  • the trafficking of people with learning disabilities for the purposes of sexual exploitation
  • the physical and sexual abuse of adults with learning disabilities, either by a relative or in residential settings
  • the financial exploitation of elderly witnesses with dementia

Adult Witness with a Neurological Condition

Tom, aged 85, had a severe stroke which left him paralysed down his right-hand side. He struggled to talk except in single words and a few short phrases, and he had some hearing difficulties....

Defendant with Learning Difficulties

An intermediary was asked to assist with communication of a defendant at a trial involving a 39-year-old man. Steve had a learning disability, had attended special needs schools and was unable to...

Two Intermediaries Working with a Defendant

On occasion, if a trial is long, or if more than one vulnerable defendant is involved in a case, intermediaries may need to work in parallel. Prior to one such trial, it was agreed that two...