According to several studies, more than ten percent of the people who are accused of sexual assault turns out to be innocent. While our justice system is good and promises a great deal of help for the sexual assault victims, sadly, some people have started to take advantage of it.According to Sam Dordulian, sexual abuse attorney in Los Angeles, 17% of women reported at least one unwanted sexual contact by a relative before the age of 16. Given the high levels of stigma and under-reporting of sexual abuse, the true figure is likely to be significantly higher. some people have started to take advantage of it.
A lot of people come in front, pretending to be the victim and accusing an innocent person of the crime just to take some sort of revenge or just for personal benefit. If you have been accused wrongfully of a sexual crime, then the first and most important thing you need to do is take it seriously. The more lightly you take it, the more difficult it will become for you to fight it. You are wrongfully accused, so you should not be afraid and must deal with this situation calmly. If the accuser manages to get away with it, you can face some serious consequences, including heavy fines and even jail time. It is highly recommended that one should lawyer up in such a scenario so they can make their case properly and can prove their innocence. Moreover, you can go through a record expungement process that enables you to clean up the criminal record that doesn’t serve you. But dealing with such a situation can still be tricky at times. In this article, I have mentioned a few things that one needs to do when they have been falsely accused of sexual assault. Following these tips can make it easier for you to solve this complicated matter:
Analyze How Much Trouble You Are In
The first thing you need to do is analyze how much trouble you are actually in for and what could be the legal ramifications. You do not want to deal with it carelessly because it can have some serious consequences. A lot of people think of it in a way that they are innocent, so they do not need to worry about it, but how one should deal with this critical situation. If you do not take the necessary steps in time, you can go even deeper into this hole and can face some serious consequences. For example, you are going for a divorce, and your partner has accused you of having child sexual abuse. You may ignore it because you know it is not true, but in legal proceedings, you may end up with criminal charges against you, and you will end up fighting more than one case at a time. That is why you need to react according to your situation. Not only will it make it easier for you to prove that the claims are false, but consulting a Phoenix sex crimes lawyer will also save you a lot of money as well.
Choose an Experienced Attorney
You need to hire a lawyer as soon as you have been accused of the crime because you do not want to blow this thing out of proportion. But when it comes to hiring a lawyer, do not just go out and hire the first available lawyer you can find. You need to do a little bit of research and hire a lawyer that has enough experience and a proven track record. There may be an attorney you already know, but if they specialize in other types of criminal cases, then you better hire the one that specializes in sexual assault defense. Choosing the wrong lawyer can do more harm than good, so avoid making such a mistake. Also, while hiring a lawyer, make sure that they do not already have enough on their plate. You want to make sure that your lawyer has time to pay proper attention to your case. What would be the point of hiring a lawyer if they would not be available for you? You must also hire a lawyer who is specifically aware of the laws of the state. A good Phoenix criminal lawyer will know how the laws in that area work and what he needs to do in order to get you cleared as soon as possible.
Manage Your Finances
Another thing you need to do in such a scenario is to manage your finances carefully. When you have a legal case going on against you, it is not just hard emotionally and mentally, but it can also hurt you financially. Assaulting someone sexually is a heinous crime, and it has serious consequences. When one is accused of child abuse, domestic violence, or rape, the chances of criminal charges are usually high. And once you are criminally charged, a conviction becomes highly likely unless you have solid proof to prove otherwise. This process takes a long time, and there will be multiple tests along the way where you can prove your innocence. You will have to go for expensive psychological testing, or you might have to hire a private investigator to collect evidence. So you have to prepare yourself for spending thousands of mentally. Remember, the long term consequences of this can be a lot worse, so you should not hesitate to spend when it comes to defending yourself.
Educate Yourself about Legal Proceedings
You may already have hired a lawyer who has a great deal of experience, and you trust them completely, but you should not stop there. You have a legal case going against you, so it is important for you to learn more about the legal process. It does not matter if you have zero knowledge of law prior to this, you still need to be aware of everything that is going on and every possible outcome of the case. Your freedom is on the line here, so you should trust only yourself. The more you know about it, the more chances you will have to get out of this mess. It also helps you understand your lawyer more, and why he or she is telling you to take certain actions. You may not understand it initially, but if you educate yourself a little and see the bigger picture, you will be able to cooperate better with them. Educating yourself also strengthens your faith in the law and gives you hope that you will be able to get out of this mess soon.
Create a Witness List
If you have an alibi or witnesses, it can make a huge difference for your case. That is why you need to create a list of witnesses for yourself so you can make sure that you have something to show for in the court. Create a list of the persons who you can ask to come in to testify and write down what information they can provide. Having a list with all the details also helps you identify which witness is the most important to you and what information do they exactly have. But make sure you let all the witnesses testify, even if you think that a certain witness is not that important, you could be wrong. In a lot of cases, the witness one thinks of as the least important turns out to be the most important one. So, compile a list and share it with your lawyer and make sure you do not skip any witnesses at all.
Stay Calm and Collected
It is very important for you to stay calm and collected throughout the entire process. How you appear in court and how you behave with others there can also play an important role in all this. If you are not at your best behavior and you have said something inappropriate during the court, then it can harm your chances greatly. Even an unintentional slip of the tongue can do more harm than you can imagine. You also need to appear like a decent person in the court, so dress accordingly and act as a respected person. A lot of people can be their own worst enemies in such cases, so make sure you are doing what is best for you. Also, do not let the stress get to you, take part in healthy activities throughout the process and keep your mental health in check as well. It can be very easy for a person to damage their mental health when they have been falsely accused of such an awful crime but you have to be strong throughout the proceedings.
Avoid Communicating With the Accuser
While you will be tempted to talk to the person who has accused you so you can clear out the air and know the exact reason why they brought false charges against you, it is best for you to avoid such a thing. Communicating with them can do more harm than good, and you must understand that for your own good. And no communication means you should not try to contact them with the help of a third party either. One small slip and your accuser can use that against you as well. If it is necessary to talk and you want to sort out things as soon as possible, then make sure you talk to that person in the right way. This means you can talk to them as long as both yours and their lawyer are present in the room.
