Sexual offences allegations can be horrific and humiliating to deal with. Not only do some offences carry life imprisonment if convicted, but any person accused of such a crime will be extremely concerned about allegations being made public, associated media attention and the repercussions of the allegations in general.
Sleepless nights, anxiety and horror.
We understand the need for you and your family to be advised and informed on how court proceedings work, and that such procedures may be unfamiliar to you. Often these offences are based purely on the issue of consent and presenting accurate and factual legal arguments to support this is key.
It’s crucial to engage with a competent sexual offences solicitors as early as possible in the allegations.
If you or somebody close to you has been charged or arrested in connection to sexual offences, you will probably be feeling very stressed, worried and confused about what’s going to happen.
In some cases, the charge is not based on fact, but entirely on allegations. Whatever your circumstances, it can be very stressful as you wonder who will find out and how this may affect your day to day life. You will be concerned about what friends, family and colleagues will think of you.
In this article, we aim to answer some of your questions and provide you with the support and guidance that you need.
Here are some examples of sexual offences that may have led to the situation at hand.
Distribution of pornographic material – the law has recently changed on what constitutes pornographic material. The crown prosecution Service has recognised that their terms, such as ‘obscene’ are open to interpretation.
Possession and distribution of indecent images – if the images are of children, the maximum prison term for possessing them is five years. For distribution of indecent images, the maximum prison term is ten years.
Inciting sexual activity – this is the act of encouraging or urging a child below the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Child sex offences – the sentence for these is determined by the intention of the accused and the age of the child.
Grooming – when there have been at least two communications with a child and either the child or the accused travels to meet the child with the intention of committing a sexual act.
Rape – penetration without consent.
Sexual assault – intentionally touching a person in a sexual way without consent.
The main components of a sexual offence are that there is a sexual intent; there has not been consent, or that a child is involved.
When a sexual offences investigation takes place, it can be a very worrying time. You may worry about your reputation, your job, that you won’t be able to cover your bills or have enough food for your family to eat. Everything feels very unstable and uncertain.
In every case of a sexual offence, the circumstances are different. However, it’s absolutely vital that you seek legal advice to support you and guide you. You need to seek expertise and guidance to handle the investigation process. The process can be complicated and lengthy. It’s crucial that you engage legal professionals who have experience of defending sexual offence cases and to whom you can speak to in the strictest confidence.
You’ll typically discover that you’re being investigated for sexual offences when you get a knock on the door from the police. The police may invite you to the police station for an interview. You have a right to consult a lawyer and the right to attend the interview with someone else.
Please also note that in many cases, people are wrongly accused of sexual offences. If you feel this is you, there are many reasons why you may have had false claims made about you. In some cases, it’s malicious and in others, it could be somebody seeking a financial payment.
You’re very unlikely to be told why you’re being investigated or any other details about your sexual offence case until you are at the police interview and in a situation where you can be questioned.
Your police interview will be recorded so that any evidence can be heard in court.
However, you have a right to access legal advice. It’s important to hire an experienced and competent sexual offences solicitor to support you and provide you with guidance about how best to handle the case. Once you have engaged a solicitor, they will examine your situation and what’s known about it to create a strong defence.
If you are being investigated or you have been charged, it is imperative that you seek early advice and guidance to protect your position. The best approach to take now is to engage a legal professional who has experience of building a defence for sexual offences.
Sexual offences are an area of law that can be complicated. It’s also an area of law that can have a devastating effect on the lives of anybody who is involved – accused and accuser.
It’s recommended that the first action you take is to hire a solicitor experienced with sexual offences to help you. Not only will you gain access to the most current laws and defence strategies, but you will be given supportive guidance to get you through this challenging time in your life.
You’ll be supported throughout the entire process and a competent lawyer will ensure that you get the best possible outcome.
What many people find difficult is that along with interviewing you, there is likely to have been a search warrant issued so that the law enforcement officers can make a thorough investigation. This includes your home, smartphone, tablet, computer plus any data containers such as hard drives.
During the search, your emails and social media accounts will be examined for evidence.
Sexual offences are serious crimes. Whether you will need to spend time inside a prison will depend on the crime for which you have been convicted.
Rape is likely to come with a prison term. It’s a worrying time and important that you take all the action possible to protect yourself from gaining a reputation that you don’t deserve.
A sexual offence is a crime that can have a devastating effect no matter what role you played. It can damage a reputation and can mean spending a term in prison.
If you are convicted of sexual offences, it is possible that you’ll be handed a sentence of imprisonment as punishment. By taking the right steps, it may be possible to have your case dismissed before it reaches the point of being a trial in court.
We handle sexual offences cases regularly and have deep expertise in this field. We can help you by recommending the best course of action to take to mitigate the outcome. No matter what size your case is, get in touch.
Depending on the offence, your name may be added to the sex offenders register. Prison sentences range from 3 months to life imprisonment for rape.
If you engage a sexual offences solicitor who has deep experience and knowledge of this area of law, they will advise you of the typical sentence for the offence.
Read more about sentencing for Sexual Offences.
See examples and outcomes of Sexual Offence Cases
If you are convicted of a sexual offence, your conviction will be noted on your CRB / police record. The period of the endorsement will depend on the type and the length of the sentence.
Furthermore, your name will be added to the sex offenders register and you will be required to report routinely to a probation officer who will have significant involvement in your day-to-day life.
With some of the most experienced and talented criminal solicitors, we have the right people to defend you in allegations of sexual offences. We have a track record of success and are proud of our pro-active and energetic approach. We are trusted and recognised as a firm of specialist sexual offences solicitors and have provided advice and guidance to journalists reporting in national newspapers such as the BBC and the Independent.
No matter which sexual offence you are accused of, we can help. Whether it’s any of the following allegations that you’re faced with, or any other sexual offence claim, we can ensure that you’re provided with a highly competent sexual offences solicitor who will support you throughout the process:
Possessing and or distributing pornographic material or indecent images
Sexual assault or rape
Sexual grooming
Causing or inciting sexual activity
Child sex offences
Historic sexual offences
Our process includes looking at the evidence in your case with your solicitor so that he or she can identify the strongest defence strategy. The goal is to present your case in the best way for the most successful outcome.
Our work handling sexual offences has been particularly successful with several acquittals secured in high profile offences. For example, we secured an acquittal for our client in the Oxford grooming case. Our client was one of the two men who were acquitted, out of nine defendants.
Due to the sensitive nature of sexual offences cases, we publish only limited information on our website.
Another high-profile case involved a rape case connected to the killer of ‘Baby P’. We are considered the specialist solicitors for sexual offence cases and are available to create your defence strategy with you.
Our team are highly competent and can support you with any sexual offence for which you may have been accused. It’s critical that you engage a solicitor who has deep experience and knowledge of the laws. We are always sensitive and considerate of the nature of the cases that we handle.
If you’d like to have a no obligation chat with us before you instruct us to take your case, then call us today.
In addition to a free consultation, we can also represent you at the police station if you’ve been arrested. We can also look at securing your legal aid.
Please contact us and ask to speak to our sexual offences solicitors to arrange a meeting in person, online or by telephone. If you prefer, you can WhatsApp us from the link you will find on this page.