If you have been accused of a crime that you did not commit, your first reaction may be to champion your cause and tell all and sundry that you were not guilty of this particular charge. You may feel that this is a gross injustice and that you have a reputation to uphold, so you may be very tempted to take matters into your own hands and state your case. Yet this may be the wrong approach entirely and could backfire, so what should you do instead to make sure that this matter is resolved correctly?
Not Unheard Of
Most people believe that this type of scenario could never happen to them. Yet, unfortunately, it does. According to one source, as many as 300 Australian men and women in jail are completely innocent.
Mistaken Identity?
Sometimes, a victim may incorrectly identify you as the perpetrator, or the police may have made some mistakes when trying to assess a case. In any situation, you will want to take action as soon as possible and try to ensure that the case does not go in front of a criminal court. To stand the best chance, turn this over to a lawyer and never try to handle everything by yourself.
Keeping Quiet
Do not speak about the situation, even though you may be tempted to answer some of your critics on social media or in the press. You may spread the word among people who were not even aware of the situation. They could jump to conclusions. If you say the wrong thing at the wrong time, you could make yourself appear guilty even though you are not.
Dealing With Evidence and Witnesses
What you can do is work away in the background to gather evidence to support your cause. Give all this material to your lawyer so that they can use their expertise to craft the right approach.
Never try to contact any potential witnesses yourself. Allow your legal representative to do this for you. Also, if there is any collateral or evidence that could support your cause or that could be the centre of the case itself, protect this carefully by giving it to your solicitor.
No Time To Waste
Above all else, listen to the experts. The law is complex, and there may be subtle ways to approach this entire case which could lead to it being thrown out before it progresses too far. Therefore, the sooner that you employ the services of an experienced solicitor, the better, as you try to put this nightmare behind you.
Share9 November 2021
In my job as a student advisor I hear a lot of complaints about the unfair conditions that some bosses impose on their employees. I'm not a lawyer, but I am very familiar with which conditions are actually illegal and which are just things that some employees don't like being asked to do — like clean the toilets. This blog has some resources to help employees know if what their boss is asking them to do is illegal or just annoying. Knowing even just a little bit about the law can go a long way in making sure you're being treated properly.
