Regina Sexual Assault and Rape Lawyers

Getting charged with any criminal offense can be life changing, but sexual assault charges carry even greater consequences. There are few charges that are more stigmatizing.

Being convicted of a sexual crime will result in jail time, as well as registration in the National Sex Offender registery. It can be difficult to find a job or housing after that, even after one is released from jail. If you’re involved in a child custody dispute you are likely to lose custody of your kids.

How to Handle a Sexual Assault or Rape Charge

It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re charged with rape or sexual assault. No doubt your emotions are running high. Yet what you do from the moment you find out about the accusation can make a big impact on your case.

First? Exercise your right to remain silent. Don’t talk to anyone about your case: not the victim, not your parents, not your significant other, not your friends, and definitely not the police. Go silent on social media. The only person you should discuss your case with is your lawyer.

Keep in mind there is very little you can say that will help. “I’m innocent and I’m not at liberty to discuss the case,” is probably all you can say. You may lose friends or family members during this time, but you’ll protect yourself. Even innocuous statements about where you were, or what the alleged victim said or did, can ultimately be used against you.

Your next step will be to gather as much exonerating evidence as possible. This could include emails, texts, voice mails, video documentation, or witnesses. In some cases there might be an alleged date and time that you were supposed to have been with the victim. In this case, GPS records, phone records, and computer records that record your IP address can all be useful.

How can a lawyer from Merchant Law help?

There are many ways to defend against a sexual assault or rape charge. For example, we start challenging the admissability of certain pieces of evidence before your case even goes to trial, working to keep them out of the record, even as we conduct discovery to learn about the strength of the Crown’s case.

Challenging the physical evidence to show that the Crown’s theory of the case is another way that we can help defend you, in addition to challenging the credibility of witnesses.
If the Crown’s case is very weak, we may be able to get it dismissed before it gets to trial, which is an ideal outcome.

There may be situations which make it unlikely that you will be acquitted. When these arise we advise you of your situation and try to work out a plea bargain for lesser charges. This can reduce jail time.

Why Merchant Law?

We have a long, successful track record defending people against these very difficult and scary charges. Our team knows how to evaluate a case and how to find the inconsistencies that can lead to a verdict of “not guilty.”

If you’re in trouble, don’t delay. Call Merchant Law to speak with a lawyer now. Call (306) 359-7777