Gideon Ferris
defence solicitor
Calm; say nothing until advised
Arrested
A night in custody, a police interview and a charge decision. Reece and his mother learn criminal process the hard way, and the question of what really happened that night stays open longer than anyone expects.
Planned · not started yet
Law & your rights Second chances Hard choices City life Tense Bracing
The premise
A night in custody, a police interview and a charge decision. Reece and his mother learn criminal process the hard way, and the question of what really happened that night stays open longer than anyone expects.
The protagonist
Reece Halloran — 19-year-old arrested after a fight outside a bar
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Pam Okoro
retired custody sergeant
Plain-spoken; explains the police side
Darnell Quist
youth-justice worker
Hopeful; one night need not define a life
How the story moves
From arrest to verdict over nine months; new CCTV evidence midway reverses the case’s direction, and the aftermath shows what a charge costs even when the outcome is fair.
What readers take away
- Rights in police custody
- Duty solicitors and legal aid
- Police interviews and the caution
- Bail and conditions
- Charging decisions
- Pleas and their consequences
- Sentencing basics
- Criminal records and their effects
- Understand youth and adult court differences
- Use character references
- Understand disclosure of evidence
- Know when convictions become spent
The books
- 1Custody Planned
- 2Charge Planned
- 3Bail Planned
- 4Trial Planned
- 5After Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.