Sexual Assault

Few offences in the Criminal Code of Canada carry the stigma of sexual assault. A conviction can severely hamper your employment prospects. It can also result in you being placed on a sex offender registry for decades.Recent legislative changes have also made defending these charges vastly more complicated. The alleged victim is potentially entitled to their own representation at different steps of the trial proceedings. They may resist your efforts to obtain information essential to your defence or try to prevent you from introducing evidence that assists you.I have secured acquittals for many clients charged with sexual assault. When I am retained, I take clients through a multi-step process to ensure they have the best defence available. This process includes:

1. Detailed interview with the client as to what happened during the incident (if it even happened at all).
2. Determining if there are witnesses who can corroborate the client’s version of events and interviewing them.
3. Identifying and preserving any evidence to support the client’s version of events such as text messages and Facebook posts.
4. Planning the applicable pre-trial motions necessary to obtain evidence in the possession of third parties.

It is important to retain counsel at the earliest opportunity when defending yourself against allegations of sexual assault. Evidence can be lost, deleted or misplaced. Witnesses can move or change their contact information. The defence of your charges needs to be coordinated early in the proceedings to have the best chance of succeeding.