The Case For The Defence #1: Hollie Is Not A Credible Witness

When people hear about the Hollie Greig case for the first time they may think that because Hollie has Downs Syndrome she is not a credible witness. However even the police have admitted that this is not the case, as the PCCS report contains the following quote:
 

"although there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case this did not reflect on the credibility of X."

  Furthermore the conclusion of the report prepared by child psychologist Dr Eva Harding in 2003 reads as follows :

 "Despite her considerable mental handicap and limited language development, Hollie was well able to make herself understood. Good rapport was made with her so that she trusted me with her confidences. Her allegations were consistent and supported with details of time, place and incidental observations. She also showed good understanding of situations unconnected with the abuse e.g. in her accounts of the storylines and characters in her favourite "soaps". I found Hollie's accounts of abuse to be entirely believable, especially concerning her father who was clearly the principal abuser. This is confirmed by her descriptions of nightmares and flash-backs."

  It is worth noting that the decision of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to award Hollie compensation of £13,500 was largely based on Dr Harding's report.

  I simply do not accept the argument that Hollie is not a credible witness.