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Fredericksburg Sex Crimes Lawyer

In Fredericksburg, as in the rest of the State of Virginia, sex crimes are defined as any sexual activity that is not done consensually. There are several offenses that can be classified as sex crimes, and they all come with varying degrees of penalties and consequences.

If you are facing charges or allegations of a sex crime, you should contact a Fredericksburg sex crimes lawyer as soon as possible. An experienced defense attorney can help to build a strong defense and work hard to maintain a positive outcome in your case.

Common Offenses

In Fredericksburg, sex crime examples could be anything from indecent exposure, where an individual exposes their body parts to somebody, to possession of child pornography charges, or even violent sexual offenses such as rape or sexual battery.

Sex crimes are either violent or non-violent in their nature. Within that, they are divided into two categories. There are misdemeanor sex crimes such as sexual battery, or felony sex crimes such as rape or forcible sodomy. Within each category or misdemeanor or felony, there are separate degrees.

Common felony sex crimes in Fredericksburg are rape, sexual battery, aggravated sexual battery, indecent liberty charges, child pornography charges, indecent exposure, and various sex crimes against children all of which warrant immediate contact with a sex crimes attorney in Fredericksburg.

Penalties

The different penalties a person may face for a sex crime in Fredericksburg depends entirely on the charge. If someone is charged with rape, that is a felony. The penalty for a conviction for rape is up to life in prison.

If somebody is charged with a crime like indecent liberties with a child, that is also a felony conviction with a penalty up to 10 years in prison. That penalty is even harsher if the victim is related to the individual in a certain way. It depends on what the individual is charged with, but for the most part, they are felony offenses that need to be fought early on with the help of an attorney.

Long Term consequences

When someone faces a sex crime charge, it can be different from other offenses because of the stigma that goes along with crime. Not only does Virginia law penalize an individual much more seriously for sex crimes than they would for non-sex crimes, there is a social stigma associated with that.

Employers look down on employees who are charged with sex crimes, making maintaining employment difficult. Additionally, family members, neighbors, and the community can immediately assume that the person charged with a sex crime is a dangerous individual. There is a lot of social stigma attached to the charge of a sex crime. Along with that, some sex crimes carrying a mandatory penalty requiring convicted offenders to register on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry which brands those offenders for life. Facing a social stigma alone is a good enough reason to work with a sex crimes attorney in Fredericksburg to combat these charges.

Role of an Attorney

A Fredericksburg sex crimes attorney has many different roles. They must do damage control by making sure that the person charged does not throw away evidence, does not admit guilt, and prevents evidence from being leaked. The attorney also works on the control of information that goes to the police in these types of cases.

A skilled lawyer builds a robust defense and attacks all of the scientific evidence, witness statements, information on any video, written information through texts, or phone calls. The attorney sorts through all of the evidence and takes it apart to find flaws in the prosecution’s case.

Contacting an Attorney

If someone hires an attorney in a sex crimes case, they should expect the attorney to be very hands-on with their case. A Fredericksburg sex crimes attorney does a lot of work behind the scenes preparing for the case. They find information, talk to witnesses, prepare for trial, obtain discovery from the prosecutor, find out what the officers are doing in the individual’s case, and examine scientific evidence. The attorney takes on a huge role by preparing for trial.

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