Effectively preparing vulnerable witnesses for trial is essential, says Mark Solon
Facing the might of the UK’s adversarial system is a traumatic experience for even the strongest of witnesses. In the case of professional violinist Frances Andrade, who killed herself after testifying against former music teacher Michael Brewer, it appears she was seriously ill-prepared for what would befall her in court.
Brewer, the former director of music at Chetham’s school of music in Manchester was on 8 February 2013 found guilty of five charges of indecently assaulting Andrade when she was 14 and 15 and a pupil of his at the school.
Tragic death
However, Andrade was not alive to see the verdict. She gave herself a lethal insulin injection midway through the trial after being accused by defence barrister Kate Blackwell QC of being a fantasist, attention seeker and liar.
After the judgment Andrade’s son Oliver issued a statement which said: “Being repeatedly called a ‘liar’ and a ‘fantasist’ about a horrific part of her life in front of a court challenged her personal integrity and was more than even she could
