Hampton Roads Sex Crimes Lawyer
A sex crime is a crime where the assault is sexual in nature, either sex with the alleged victim or some sort of sexual encounter with the alleged victim. It refers to an overarching set of behaviors that apply to the whole range of laws that cover crimes of a sexual nature. Sex crimes are taken seriously in Virginia, which is why it is important to work with a qualified criminal defense attorney. A skilled Hampton Roads sex crimes lawyer could devote the time and resources necessary to build a solid defense for you.
Sex Crime Offenses
Sex crime offenses range from sexual battery, which can be anything from touching someone’s genitals all the way up to rape. Sexual battery is a misdemeanor, but things like sodomy, molestation, and rape are all felonies, and felonies can be punished up to life in prison.
Aggravated sexual battery, which is common, is the unwanted touching of someone’s genitals where a person uses some sort of threat, force, or violence to accomplish that. Sodomy and rape are also are sex offenses. Police have dedicated detectives who specialize in interviewing accusers and those accused of sex offenses. There often tends to be DNA evidence, physical evidence that is collected.
Prosecution of Sex Crimes
Sex crimes are prosecuted quite aggressively in Hampton Roads. These are serious crimes that can get a lot of media attention depending on the exact nature of it and because there is often an alleged victim who has been, in many times, harmed severely, these are cases that the Commonwealth vigorously prosecutes. The investigations for these offenses can be quite harsh. With rape and with sodomy, the maximum sentence is life in prison. In a lot of cases, life is not an appropriate sentence. However, if it is a particularly heinous crime, they may be more inclined to ask for life in prison.
Furthermore, if a person is charged with a violent sex crime, they are probably not going to get a bond. Instead, they may be held in jail pending the trial. There are much harsher penalties as opposed to a statutory rape charge, for instance, where there was consensual sex. If a person uses violence or they harmed the other person, that is going to be considered in the sentencing. Penalties for sexual offenses range anywhere from a misdemeanor leading up to 12 months in jail for misdemeanor sexual battery all the way up to life in prison for the more serious crimes like rape or sodomy. Furthermore, an individual will have to register for the Sex Offender Registry, which could have collateral consequences. A Hampton Roads sex crimes lawyer could attempt to mitigate the severity of the penalties that someone may face.
Benefit of Working With a Hampton Roads Sex Crimes Attorney
One of the first things a Hampton Roads sex crimes lawyer may do is try to talk to you and get your side of the story, in order to find out what is going on. The lawyer wants to see if they can establish an alibi as to whether or not you were at the scene at the time. They might try to establish whether you were there or not.
Depending on the case, an attorney may also try to, if they are alleging this was non-consensual, establish that it was consensual and to see if there is anything that would indicate that these two had an existing relationship and that the behavior was not rape but merely consensual sex. A qualified sex attorney can be an invaluable asset in your case and could work tirelessly to build your defense.
