Sexual assault is a serious crime, and if you are falsely accused of this crime, then you must know how to deal with these allegations without putting yourself in further trouble. Sexual assault is not only terrible for the victims. As a matter of fact, for victims of sexual assault, it can be a life-changing experience. Sexual assault is something that the victims might struggle with for the rest of their lives.
However, it is equally devastating to be falsely accused of a sex crime. The underlying reason is that the consequences of such an accusation are almost immediate and serious.
What Happens When You Are Falsely Accused of A Crime?
Usually, when you are accused of a crime that you did not commit, you can expect instant consequences – depending on the nature of the accusation. Sexual assault is a severe crime, and you can expect severe backlash as a result, such as loss of employment, loss of reputation, loss of standing in the community, and even loss of family. Depending on the situation, you might not be allowed to go to your children’s daycare or school.
The stares and whispers of the entire neighborhood behind your back can only add to the trauma that you are already experiencing due to the false accusations.
Understand the Importance of Silence
When you get the news of the false accusations, it is natural to experience strong emotions where a lot of thoughts start to swirl through your mind. Now, the important question that you need an answer to is, what do you do when you are accused of a grave crime like sexual assault?
Firstly, you need to practice and understand the significance of practicing your right to remain silent. Your initial reaction whenever you are falsely accused of any crime that you did not commit, is to tell everyone that you didn’t do it.
Get A Lawyer and Only Talk to Them
We recommend that you do not talk to your family or friends about the accusation. Ideally, you should get a lawyer on board, such as the Pittsburgh Sex Crimes Attorneys, if you reside in Pittsburgh and let the lawyer do all the talking with the public, the police, and the accuser. Do not answer questions about the accusation, and avoid commenting or talking to the police about it.
Of course, it can be tempting to clear your name and to explain to everyone or anyone who cares to listen that you bear no fault. However, you must always wait for the attorney before speaking to the accuser, the police, or anyone else.
Keep Yourself in Check
You must keep yourself in check – no matter what situation you are in. Whatever you say or do won’t make anything better. As a matter of fact, if you speak about the accusation. You are only making it worse for yourself. You must understand that your words will be twisted and taken out of context.
It all comes down to the fact that anything that you say or do can and will be used against you, which is why it is in your best interest to not utter a single word but to remain silent and limit yourself to your lawyer only.
Collect Supporting Evidence
Of course, your lawyer will be on your side to help you with the case, but your cooperation is required to help the lawyer drop the false charges as early as possible. So, you must do the homework of creating a list of witnesses. Don’t wait for a few days or weeks to pass before creating a list of witnesses who can give statements in your favor.
Everything is fresh in your mind now, and you will remember more than when you sit down; you will remember the events that unfolded that led to this accusation six months from now when you will be preparing for trial. On that note, it is incredibly important to immediately sit down and compose a list of witnesses.
Examples of Making A List of Witnesses
You might be in a situation where the girl from the bar that you visited last night claims that you sexually assaulted her. Now, you might have thought that the act was consensual, but if you are in such a situation, then waste no time but write down the name of every single person who was at the bar.
Or, you might be in a situation where your niece claims that you sexually molested her when you were all gathered for Thanksgiving. The best next step would be to make a list and write down the names of everyone who attended Thanksgiving.
Write Down More than Names
It is important to mention here that while you are creating a list of witnesses, you are not just writing down names, but while you are at it, you must be the best eyewitness, the best paralegal, and the best private investigator. What we are saying here is that you have to be the best source of information for your lawyer. By helping your lawyer, your lawyer will be able to help you fend off the false accusations of a sex crime that you did not commit.
So, focusing on the details and writing them down is in your best interest. So, when making a list of witnesses for your lawyer to go through, you will send the lawyer names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and biographies in which you detail your relationship with the witness and the witness’s relationship with the accuser.
Include A Summary of The Witness’s Statements Too
Finally, you will sum up the witness list with a few short sentences or a paragraph summary of what you expect each of the witnesses to say about the accusation and what their potential stance will be. This way, your lawyer and your lawyer’s private investigator will have strong resources that they can use to dig deeper into the case, which will help them unravel the truth later in court.
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