Liam Bullen - Denmark

October 03

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Liam appeal was unsuccessful and after serving his sentence, he returned to the UK in July 2004.

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Liam Bullen, a British citizen, moved to Denmark to be close to his home, work and friends.

In July 2002, he went to nightclub. CCTV footage taken outside the club showed Liam chatting to various people, including a policeman. He was dancing and the next thing he remembers is waking up the street bleeding from a head injury. According to the medical report, the injury was caused by a blow from a blunt instrument. In addition to the cut on the top of his head, Liam had a number of abrasions on his body; 21 further injuries in total. He called for an ambulance and then passed out. He was first interviewed by police during a medical examination in hospital. When he woke up again, he was in a police cell.

Liam was charged with attempted rape.

Due to the head injury, Liam has no memory of what happened between being at the club and waking up in the street. The police repeatedly told him he had committed a crime and he himself began to doubt what actually happened.

Liam was granted bail and the trial was held approximately a year later. As the trial progressed, the evidence presented finally convinced Liam that he was innocent. The prosecution case included evidence that Liam's blood was found on the aggrieved and that a person fitting his description was seen walking slowly away from the scene of the alleged crime. However, DNA results showed that the semen found in the aggrieved’s underwear was not Liam's. Two bruises on her body were found to be several days old. The police did not look into possible scenarios explaining why the girl had been near the scene where Liam was attacked or why his blood was on her clothing. The policeman who interviewed Liam at the hospital could not recall what Liam said or even if he had spoken in Danish or English. He did, however, state that Liam looked guilty and this strongly influenced the court.

There were no witnesses to the alleged rape and the only witnesses called at the trial were for the prosecution. The aggrieved’s recollection of events is also hazy as she had been drinking that night. CCTV shows her kissing a man outside the club but this man was not called as a witness. The emergency services personnel who responded to Liam's call were not called to give evidence and the CCTV was not shown to the court.

Despite the lack of evidence, Liam was sentenced to1 year 9 months imprisonment. He will be deported and banned from re-entering Denmark for 10 years after serving his sentence. In addition, he has to pay compensation to the aggrieved. Liam is also greatly concerned that he will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register in the UK.

Fair Trial Issues

1. Liam was first questioned during a medical examination while suffering from a serious head wound.
2. He was not given access to legal representation when he questioned.
3. He was not informed of his legal rights.
4. He was not allowed to read through the statements he supposedly made during the interview at the hospital. He had not signed these statements.
5. The video evidence was not shown at trial.
6. The interpreter did not arrive until 2 hours after the trial started.
7. The interpreter spoke neither Danish nor English as a first language.
8. The lawyer did not question any prosecution evidence or cross examined the witnesses.
9. Not all the evidence was available at the time of the trial.
10. The police made no attempt to find out who had injured Liam or look for the weapon.
11. At the trial, the fact that Liam plays rugby was taken as an indication of his violent nature.

The aggrieved’ s friend and the ambulance men have all now been interviewed and with a new lawyer, Liam hopes that his appeal, scheduled for 24 November 2003, will highlight the failings of the previous case and secure his acquittal.