Alicia Davenport led the case for the defence at the trial of Frank Foster for the rape of Carla Connor heard at Weatherfield Crown Court between January and February 2012.
The first witness she cross-examined was Carla herself. She took Carla through her first meeting with Frank and an admission from her that she had to keep him sweet when he saved her Underworld business from liquidation. Alicia made a pointed remark to the jury that there was a name for women like her, which earned her a rebuke from the Judge. She then alleged that Carla tried to force Frank out of the business when she consulted her solicitor Jennifer Lingwood about their financial dealings and inferred that when that failed she then made a malicious allegation of rape against him.
Her questioning then turned to Peter Barlow, a key witness for the prosecution, and before the Judge again stopped her, she began to infer that the relationship between Carla and Peter was more than just friendship.
The next witness was Maria Connor, then a new Underworld employee, who had also been the subject of an attack by Frank. To Maria's outrage, Alicia drew attention to the low-cut dress she had worn on the night in question and then cast doubt on the rest of the evidence by gaining an admission that after the attack the police were not informed and that she and Carla still went ahead with the deal with Frank which saved the business, Maria even going so far as to apologise to him and waiting a full six weeks before making any official complaint.
Peter was the final prosecution witness. She tried to discredit him by taking the court through an assault he made on Frank and alleged that he was having an affair with Carla. Unknown to Alicia, Frank had hired Trish Davidson, a private investigator to follow the pair and obtain photographs of the two of them kissing outside the Chester Parkway Hotel. During the cross-examination, Frank's mother Anne Foster passed Peter's wife Leanne a copy of the photographs at the exact moment that Alicia was accusing him and Carla of the affair. Leanne leaped up from the public gallery and shouted abuse at Peter. The Judge told her to sit down or leave the court and the jury were instructed to disregard the outburst, nevertheless Peter's evidence was discredited.
Frank himself was the only defence witness. She was again stopped from asking a leading question when she suggested that Maria's dress was used by her and Carla as "bait" to get him to sign their business deal. Frank then lied about his actions on the night he attacked Maria and that Carla had told him that she didn't believe her story. He further perjured himself about the events of the night he raped her, saying that she had initiated sex and told the court that he fully believed that the two of them were in love and were getting married.
Frank was duly found not guilty and Alicia asked the Judge to formally discharge him. Afterwards he thanked her for her services though she admitted that it was always hard to tell which way the jury would go when considering such an "emotive" charge.
List of appearances[]
2012