When you are wrongly accused of a sex-related crime such as rape or sexual assault, this can be damaging and completely change your life. This is why it is important to seek help from a sexual offence solicitor as soon as possible to start building your defence.
Different types of crime they help with
There are a few different types of sexual offence, all being very traumatic for the victim, meaning the accusations made against you will be taken extremely seriously. This is very scary when you have been wrongly accused as you can end up in prison if you are charged.
If you have been wrongly accused of raping someone, this can be extremely damaging to you and your mental health. These cases are taken extremely seriously as it can completely change who the victim is and cause many different types of mental health problems for the rest of their life. This means that you must make sure you have a solid defence and get as much evidence as possible to counteract the allegations made. If you do not win the trial, you could face from 4-15 years in prison, maybe even life for something you didn’t do.
Your sexual offence solicitor can also help you if you have been wrongly accused of sexual abuse of a child. This is an extremely serious allegation and will be taken very seriously, and can be permanently damaging to your life if you are wrongly accused of this crime. Even if you are acquitted, it may still change people’s perceptions of you which can have a massive effect on you. If you are found guilty of this crime, which can happen even if you are innocent, you can get up to 14 years in prison, which can turn your life upside down, taking your wellbeing with it.
How your solicitor will help
If you are ever wrongly accused of a crime, your sexual offence solicitor will be here to help you every step of the way. From your arrest to your court trial, they will be there by your side defending you.
When/if you are in a police station after being arrested for these types of crimes, this is when their help can begin. It really helps to have someone who has professional knowledge of the law and what rights you have. Solicitors can give you advice in the police station as well as represent you when speaking to the police. This can help you to have some stability and support when going through this, you may be scared by being wrongly accused, so this helps.
After you have been to the police station, this is when they will really start building your defence. They can get access to all of the evidence (if any) that has been presented and challenge it the best way possible. They can also try and help you to find any evidence that may counteract the allegations to further help your defence.
If/when you have to go to court and face a judge and jury, your solicitor can help you through this as well. They can help to represent you and show your defence to everyone in court to hopefully sway them to see the real truth of you being wrongly accused.