Domestic violence can be extremely serious, but there are times when a person is falsely accused and yet is facing a criminal conviction that could lead to severe penalties and damage their reputation. Once a person is arrested and charged with domestic violence, they will need to hire one of the local domestic violence defense lawyers as quickly as possible to try to avoid a conviction. Below are two ways a lawyer can help.
They Were Acting in Self-Defense
In some cases, a person may simply be defending themselves from an abusive spouse or partner, but the immediate evidence at the scene leads police to believe otherwise. This can easily happen in the heat of the moment when the police aren’t sure exactly what happened. However, a lawyer can look into all the evidence against the person and try to find witnesses or other evidence that suggests the person was simply defending himself or herself from an attack. With this evidence, the lawyer can prove self-defense and have the charges dropped or have the person found not guilty if the case goes to court.
The Injuries Were Self-Inflicted
An officer showing to the scene of a domestic violence call is typically going to arrest the person with fewer injuries as it looks like they’re the one doing most of the damage; this isn’t always the case though. There have been instances where a person will injure themselves in an attempt to have the other person arrested and charged with domestic violence as a way to get back at them for a perceived injustice. With witness statements, video evidence and other types of evidence such as medical exams, a lawyer may be able to prove the wounds were self-inflicted and not done by their client.
Just because a person is arrested and charged with domestic violence doesn’t mean they’re guilty. In fact, there could be compelling evidence that shows they’re innocent that the police didn’t see before the arrest. In these cases, the domestic violence defense lawyers will work hard to help their client have the charges dropped or be found not guilty so they aren’t convicted for a crime they didn’t commit.
