If you have been accused of sexual assault charges in Ontario, you might be uncertain what you should do next. Sexual assault charges in Canada are a serious matter and it is worth making sure that you are not conducting yourself incorrectly before you go before a judge to present your side of the case. Always make sure that you secure a skilled sexual assault lawyer right away if you have been accused of serious charges like these.
Once you have the help of a skilled sexual assault lawyer in Toronto, you will be given some advice about the way to behave before your case can be heard by a judge. Make sure that you follow all of these suggestions and best practices so that you are able to present your side of the story without any other considerations muddying the waters of the case.
Stay Calm and Keep Quiet
One of the best ways to prove that you are innocent of a crime that is founded on aggression is to behave in the exact opposite manner. It can be challenging to behave calmly when you have been accused of this kind of crime, but you need to keep control of your emotions. The more under control you are, the more likely it will be that your side of the story will be heard correctly. When you behave in an emotional way or argue with your accuser, you might seem like the aggressor and this might make a poor impression on any witnesses to the incident in question.
Don’t Argue with Law Enforcement
When law enforcement is involved in a situation that leads to sexual assault charges, it is always in your best interest to be compliant with the police in every way. Remember that the police are just trying to do their job and take care of everyone involved in the situation properly. Even if you have been accused unfairly, it will not help your case to fight with the police or behave in an improper way toward them.
Talk to Your Lawyer Before Police
Make sure that you tell the police that you want to speak to your lawyer before you tell them anything. Even small details that you might relay incorrectly, or mistakes to do with your timeline or other information related to the incident can be damning later on. You should always invoke your right to speak to your attorney before you give any kind of statement to the police.
Be Honest with Your Sexual Assault Lawyer
When your sexual assault lawyer shows up to discuss the incident with you, be completely honest with them. These kinds of situations can include embarrassing details and information that you do not want to share, but you need to tell your lawyer everything to be sure that they can defend you properly. Anything that you leave out of your story could come back to bite you when the case is put before a judge.
You will need to tell your lawyer if you did behave inappropriately toward the accuser that is involved in the case, and you will need to explain in detail what your intentions were for the interaction that led to the accusation. Intention can be very important for those who are involved in these kinds of cases as the accused, and you will need to make it clear to your attorney what your real intentions were.
Don’t Contact the Accuser/Alleged Victim in Your Assault Case
Never contact the person who has accused you of sexual assault. You will only make it seem like you are trying to intimidate them or change their mind about their accusation. Even if you knew the person well before the incident that led to the accusation, you cannot reach out to them after the charges have been made. Make sure that you also do not respond to any communication that they initiate and speak with your lawyer right away if they do reach out to you. You do not want to have any communication between you and your accuser take place that is not documented carefully.
Keep Quiet About Your Case on Social Media and in Your Community
Never discuss the case on social media, or with anyone else in your community. You can speak with family or with close friends, but even giving this kind of information out can lead to trouble down the road if someone provides information to the wrong parties not involved in the case. You want to be sure that you keep the information that you know to yourself and that you do not share anything about the case or your defence with anyone that you do not trust. It is always a good idea to keep a low profile until your case has been concluded just to make sure that you get the fairest treatment by the judge and jury and to prevent other people from coming forward with information that might be related to the incident.
Contact an Experienced Sexual Assault Defence Lawyer as Soon as Possible
When you have been accused of sexual assault in Toronto, you need to be sure that you work with a skilled sexual assault lawyer. You will need help preparing your case to argue your innocence and there will need to be a lot of information collected to help prove your side of the story. Many of these cases are based on your word against your accuser’s word, and there are rarely witnesses who can help to make the events related to the incident clearer.
Being sure that you have the right team of lawyers working on your side is easy when you choose Vilkhov Law to represent your sexual assault case. You can trust us to take care of your case properly and with attention to detail, no matter how complex the situation that you have found yourself in might be. Contact us today and let us represent your sexual assault case with skill and attention to detail.
