What do you do if you’re being charged with or investigated for a sexual offence?
A sexual offence conviction can be far-reaching with consequences that significantly impact your life, including prison time, losing your rights to see family, your ability to travel, your ability to get a job, and more. Sexual offence charges are further complicated by recent movements and changes to the law. For this reason, you need an experienced sexual offence lawyer in Calgary to help you defend your case.
What is considered a sexual offence?
By definition, a sexual offence is a crime that involves sexual intercourse or any other sexual act. Sexual offences refer to a number of charges, including:
- Sexual interference
- Sexual assault
- Sexual harassment
- Sex with a minor
- Child sex abuse
- Groping
- Voyeurism
- Rape
- Sodomy
- Sexual exploitation
- Prostitution
- Pornography
- Obscenity
What to do if you’ve been charged with a sexual offence
When you’re facing a sexual offence charge, it’s tempting to tell authorities your side of the story. However, doing so can negatively affect your case. Anything you say can be used against you in court, even if you’re innocent. As challenging as it is to resist defending yourself, the best thing you can do is to remain silent until you seek legal counsel.
A sexual offence lawyer will make sure that your rights are protected and advise you of what to say so you can build a good case down the road. You can tell the police basic information such as your name, birthday, and contact information, but you are under no obligation to answer their questions.
How we can help
At Roulston Urquhart Criminal Defence, we are experienced and thorough in handling sexual offence cases. When you call us, we will walk you through what to do next and what to expect. We:
- Contact the police on your behalf to find out if you are actually being charged.
- Find out if the police have enough evidence against you.
- Decide whether you should meet with the police and if you do, prepare the meeting for you.
- Come up with a plan and a strategy if you do need to meet with the police.
Our criminal defence lawyers leave no stone unturned to prove your innocence or lessen your charge. We are experienced in cross-examining the Complainant, which can reveal their true motive of exaggerating or completely fabricating the allegations. Our lawyers are adept at assessing your individual facts to strategize a defence tailored to your matter, including parallel strategies that may include:
- The Complainant did consent to the sexual act.
- You honestly believed that the sexual act was consensual.
- You honestly believed that the Complainant was old enough to consent to the activity.
- The sexual activity never happened.
The more you know, the more peace of mind you’ll have during this difficult time. Give us a call and we’ll do everything in our power to build a strong defence against your case.
