If you’ve been accused of committing a crime of domestic violence, then your future hangs in the balance. The allegations themselves can affect everything from your reputation to your career and the time you get to spend with your children, but a conviction can be even more devastating, potentially leading to jail or prison time and a haunting criminal history. There’s simply too much at stake to put forth anything less than the strongest criminal defense possible, especially if you’ve been falsely accused.
And a lot of people are falsely accused of committing acts of domestic violence. Alleged victims sometimes levy allegations out of anger in an attempt to get back at someone close to them, or they use false allegations to gain the upper hand in a child custody dispute. Either way, you need to be prepared to fight back against false allegations so that you can protect your freedom and your future.
What to do if you’ve been falsely accused of domestic violence
When you’ve been falsely accused of domestic violence, you be tempted to start explaining the situation to alleviate suspicions. But this can be dangerous since your words can be taken out of context and used against you in court. Instead, you should do the following if you’ve been falsely accused of domestic violence:
- Avoid talking to the police: As mentioned above, the police will use your words against you. So, when they come to talk to you or place you under arrest, don’t answer any of their questions and instead invoke your right to remain silent and your right to have an attorney present during custodial interrogation.
- Gather evidence to contradict the alleged victim: A lot of alleged domestic violence victims make claims in the heat of the moment without a lot of planning. As a result, they might claim that you abused them at a time when you were clearly somewhere else. Scrutinize their statements so that you can present evidence that contradicts them and draws their credibility into question.
- Gather evidence of how the other party has acted toward you: The false allegations levied against you may have been a long time coming. As a result, there could be a record of the alleged victim acting in a hostile or threatening fashion toward you. This evidence can help show that the other party was out to get you one way or another, which makes it more conceivable that they would falsely accuse you of a serious criminal offense.
- Refrain from contacting the alleged victim: The allegations made might leave you feeling shocked. As a result, you could be tempted to reach out to the alleged victim to ask why they’re doing this to you and what you can do to remedy the situation. But you have to refrain from doing this. Contacting the alleged victim may be viewed as witness intimidation, which is another criminal offense, and a jury may view it as you trying to be even more controlling of the other party.
Don’t leave your future hanging in the balance
False domestic violence allegations can wreak havoc on your future. That’s why it’s imperative that you do everything possible to protect yourself when you’ve been falsely accused of criminal wrongdoing. Although that’s stressful to think about, there are steps you can take to build an effective criminal defense. So, act now to craft the effective legal arguments necessary to protect your interests and aggressively fight back against the charges pursued by the prosecution.