Defense Against Sex Crime Allegations

Sex crimes cover a broad spectrum of sex-related offenses. In essence, they involve non-consensual sexual contact. They can include any unwanted touching of the sexual organs, molestation, sexual assault (rape) or sexual battery.

Sex crimes also include prostitution and solicitation of prostitution even if it was entirely consensual. Law enforcement agencies set up entire "stings" to catch prostitutes, pimps and Johns in the act. They also place ads on public forums such as Craigslist to track down and convict people who engage in prostitution. If you were accused of committing a sex crime, you have to act fast to protect yourself. If you are convicted you could face jail or prison sentencing, probation or parole, and steep monetary fines. What's worse, the effects that a sex crime conviction might have on your reputation, your personal relationships and your career could be devastating.

For more serious sex crimes such as sexual abuse, sexual battery and sexual assault or rape you will most likely be facing mandatory sex offender registration. This means that you would have to register as a sex offender no matter where you live. What's more, your headshot, conviction and home address would be made public information for all to see.

Escaping the stigma of a registered sex offender is fairly unrealistic. It is more likely that the offense will haunt you wherever you go. Unfortunately, many people who are accused of a sex crime are actually innocent. The challenging part is proving that your description of the events or lack of events is honest and true as opposed to the accusations coming from the alleged victim. Being innocent isn't always enough when the accuser delivers a convincing theatrical display to the prosecution and the judge.

It is not uncommon for pubescent teens or young girls and boys to falsely accuse their parent of sexual abuse or molestation. Unfortunately, minors can make false accusations in order to please the other parent or out of pure anger or contempt for their parents. Although sexual offenses against a minor are extremely serious, whether they are founded on fact or not, law enforcement must take the necessary precautions and investigate any allegations. However, this can put the wrongfully accused in a very uncomfortable situation in the meantime, and law enforcement might not be so quick to offer you sympathy during such investigations.

Another common scenario where false allegations are made involves bitter divorces or child custody battles. Sometimes an angry or vindictive mother will falsely accuse her husband of child molestation or rape in order to gain custody of the couple's children during a volatile divorce.

Since there are many situations in which no witnesses are around at the time of the allegation, it is essential that you retain an experienced criminal defense attorney if you have been convicted of a sex crime. Being convicted could destroy your reputation, and it might turn a lot of people against you. Sex crime allegations are also extremely embarrassing because they attack your very core. If you have been accused of a sex crime, a criminal defense attorney can handle your case in a discreet and private manner. When your reputation and freedom are on the line, you can't afford to hire a weak defense attorney who might make costly mistakes on your case. Please take a moment to contact a criminal defense attorney to discuss your case. You deserve to have a professional on your side during this difficult time.

The Colorado Springs legal team at the Law Office of Michael Moran is prepared to fight on your behalf. Their firm has extensive experience in handling a variety of criminal charges including: sex crimes, drug crimes, traffic offenses, probation violations and more. They understand how good people can make mistakes or make an error in judgment, while other times innocent people are wrongfully accused. Either way, they are not here to judge you regardless of your charges. Attorneys at the firm will offer sound advice that can give you a clear idea of what to expect in the legal system, along with the best ways to prepare your defense. They will tailor a unique strategy to suit your needs so you have the best chances of fighting the charges against you. You are urged to contact a Colorado Springs criminal defense attorney at (877) 500-7309 for a free consultation.

Defense for Internet Crimes Against Children

There are harsh penalties for internet crimes against children. Any crime involving a minor will be more harshly punished than the same crime committed against an adult. Because these crimes are treated so severely, most people hire representation to defend them against these charges. It is statistically proven that a defense attorney can increase the chances of a lesser sentence. This can reduce the jail time and fines associated with these crimes against children.

Most charges associated with crimes against children are sexual. Child pornography or the soliciting of sex are the most common reasons for these accusations. A defense attorney will most likely conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the arrest and the evidence of the crime. Since these crimes occur over the internet, there can be hard evidence proving guilt. On the flip side, a computer may not contain any information at all and the evidence may all be given by word of mouth. If there are holes in testimony or a lack of solid evidence, charges may be overturned. Other tactics a defense lawyer may use to defend a person include:

Unlawful arrest - Officers of the law are responsible for following correct procedure during an arrest. If they do not, the accused individual may have his or her case thrown out.
Mental illness - Many people commit crimes due to a mental health condition that they cannot control.
First charge - Those who have a clean record may be able to use this information to secure a lesser charge.
Innocence - In many cases, individuals are wrongly accused, and an experienced attorney can show this.

To learn more about internet crime defense, visit the website of the San Jose criminal attorneys at the Jensen Law Office today.

James Witherspoon

Self Defense and Community Crime Rates

We are all aware that the United States has a serious crime problem. Most think the way to deal with unbridled crime is to allow the police to deal with this epidemic. Non violent persons had no problem carrying some kind of non lethal self defense products. Others believe that ownership of firearms by law abiding citizens will reduce the violent crime rate. Of course arming citizens does not sit well with Law Enforcement Agencies..They are concerned that this would only aggravate an already bad situation. Just imagine what would happen if two strangers got involved in a physical confrontation and they both were carrying a handgun. We can only imagine that it could easily escalate into a gun fight.

A friend of mine who carries not lethal self defense weapons and lives in a large city with a high crime rate stated. "Every time I leave my apartment, I fear for my life". You may not feel that helpless, but I am sure that the realization that you could become a victim has crossed your mind. My mother frequently commented when she was much younger when there was a murder anywhere in the city the community was shocked and appalled. Murders only occurred on a very small scale, and murderers were viewed as monsters. Today we are so used to hearing of homicides and other violent crimes we have become desensitized. In some major cities murders exceed three hundred a year.

I grew up in Baltimore City, and I was exposed to crime and violence at a very young age. I thought all cities had the same crime problems until I did a stint in the army. Traveling around the country while in the military, I discovered peaceful crime free communities where people actually spoke to you when they walked by. In Baltimore City if a stranger acknowledges you, they usually want something. Self defense and crime were my last concern. After military service, I spent eleven years on the Baltimore City Police Department. I saw more carnage and death as a police officer than I experienced in a year of combat. I finally left the police Department and now live in small town around 60 miles from the city.

I finally moved away from an environment of noise, trash in the streets and in some area rats as big as cats. I live in a quiet clean and friendly community. Although the crime rate is nowhere near the scale of Baltimore City, recently a number of brutal rapes and murders have occurred. I notice especially at night people seem apprehensive and very cautious. Rarely do you see women walking alone or approaching strangers making casual conversations. Several of my friends have obtained weapons for their self defense. There is a lesson for all honest, hard working, law abiding citizens out there. You may have always lived in a low crime rate area, or you may have recently moved to one. Crime is everywhere and self defense should always be your concern.

Jerome Wilkins is a former decorated Baltimore City Police Officer. He is presently a Security Consultant and owner of DefendMax LLC. Visit his self defense web site at and receive a 10% discount on your 1st order by using code fv100 at checkout. You may want to examine some of our best selling stun guns.

Incest Crime Defense

Society judges sex crime offenders harshly, and this is especially true for crimes related to incest. An incest crime is defined as having sexual relations with blood relatives or people that live in the same residence. Conviction will cause an individual to have difficulty finding a place to live. Many apartment complexes have strict restrictions on keeping sex offenders out of their neighborhoods. Even if an individual is wrongly accused and convicted of a crime, he or she may face serious judgment and persecution from others around him or her. Those that find out about the conviction may break all contact with the individual, even in the event that this person has been a close friend in the past.

Therefore accusations of sex crimes should be defended with aggression. Remember, a sex crimes charge is not the same as a conviction, and there are many ways that an experienced attorney can fight to have your name cleared of the charges you face. Since sex crimes are not treated lightly in the court, sentences will be extreme if you are convicted, so it is important to secure the help of an experienced attorney as soon as possible.

The financial toll that a conviction of incest can include is thousands of dollars in fines that will plague an individual with years of payments. Jail time is also a risk. In some states, offenders, especially multiple offenders, can be assigned up to 30 years in prison.

There are two ways incest defense attorneys can help their clients. If their client is innocent of the crime, they may be able to expose false accusations and prevent all punishments. The second way to help their client is to prove that they do not deserve the highest degree of punishment. Often times an individual that expresses interest in rehabilitation and shows remorse can avoid penalties that will last the rest of his or her life.

For more information regarding defense against charges of incest, visit the website of the Milwaukee sex crimes defense attorneys at Kohler & Hart, LLP.

James Witherspoon

Judge Strikes Down Defense Motions in Pennsylvania Capital Murder, Dismemberment Crime

Monroe County President Judge Ronald Vican denied Thursday three pre-trial defense motions by public defender William Sayers, who is defending Charles Hicks in the murder case of Deanna Null.

Because the state believes that there were "aggravating circumstances" in the killing, the prosecution is seeking the death penalty.

The murder of 33-year-old Deanna Null made national headlines when body parts were found by a Pennsylvania state road crew. Police officers sent to investigate soon realized that the remains found by the road crew weren't the only ones dumped.

A search of the area radial to the intersections of Route 80 and Route 380 found that eight bags containing body parts had been strewn over a 15 mile-wide area, according to Mahalo.com. After several days of searching the area, law enforcement authorities felt they had located most of the homicide victim but could not find the hands.

The murder victim's hands had been cut off in an attempt to impair law enforcement ability to identify the victim. The hands were discovered several weeks later in the Tobyhanna, Penn., home occupied by Hicks, then an employee of Tobyhanna Army Depot.

The hands were wrapped in newspaper and hidden in the wall space of Hicks' home, according to The Times Leader. Null's severed head was found alongside the highway about 200 yards from where Hicks lived.

One of the pre-trial motions denied by Vican was an unusual request that Hicks' mother join the defense team. A member of the defense team could not then serve as a witness for the prosecution, which is expected to call Hicks' mother to the stand.

Sayer also requested that the prosecution turn over records of Hicks' previous arrests. The prosecution team objected. For one thing, prosecutors had already turned over the records, they said. For another, Hicks' prior arrest record would be inadmissible in court.

A defense request to introduce an autopsy report by forensic pathologist Sarah Funke was also denied. The pathologist who prepared the report couldn't appear due to a medical condition, Sayers said.

While the defense attorney claimed the forensic pathologist had medical problems which prevented her testimony, Vican suggested that Sayer work out some other way to obtain the testimony of the expert witness.

Vican denied the motion to present the autopsy report without the person who produced it. Otherwise, the prosecution would not be able to cross-examine or otherwise determine the accuracy of the report.

The importance of Funke's autopsy report to Hicks' defense attorney is that it undermines the prosecution's death penalty case. The prosecution has charged Hicks with capital murder because it believes he tortured Nulls before killing her.

The grisly autopsy report indicates that the body was dismembered only after the victim was dead and that "aggravating circumstances" did not apply. Whether or not a jury believes that will determine whether Hicks, if convicted, would be sentenced to death.

According to a Monroe County Court Administrator, jury selection for Hicks' capital murder trial is set to begin September 12.

Anthony Ventre is a freelance writer who has written for weekly and daily newspapers and several online publications. He is a frequent contributor to Yahoo with news pertaining to Pennsylvania.

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