Defense of Nashville Sexual Assault Charges
In Nashville, sexual assault charges are among the most serious criminal allegations, carrying serious penalties for those convicted. These penalties include the following:
- Heavy fines
- Extensive jail time
- Testing for sexually transmitted diseases
- Registration as a sexual offender
Unfortunately, false accusations of Nashville sex assault are often made due to jealousy, a need for revenge, seeking financial gain from a lawsuit, or even to gain child custody during a divorce. Whatever the motives—whether the individual charged may be innocent or guilty—it is critical to retain an experienced sexual assault defense attorney before discussing a case with law enforcement officials.
What constitutes sexual assault
When people hear of sexual assault, they typically think of rape. In legal terms, a sexual assault can include many other acts, including anything from improper touching in an office environment to any type of sexual contact with children. In Nashville, sexual abuse, even when it falls short of rape, is treated as a very serious offense.
Defense of a Nashville sexual assault charge
As with any type of criminal charges, the prosecution must be able to prove its case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. While the defense is not required to prove innocence in a Nashville sex abuse charge, a defense attorney must dispute the points made by the prosecution in order to establish reasonable doubt. Just a few potential defenses against those charges include the following:
- False accusations: When the defense can identify motives for bringing a false Nashville sexual abuse charge, the case of the prosecution can be weakened
- Consent: Charges of rape are no longer valid when the sexual assault defense lawyer can show that the act was mutually consensual between adults
- Disproving evidence: Often, the defense may focus on the inconsistency of the evidence provided by the prosecution
- Psychological evidence: There can even be times when a psychological examination discloses that the accuser has a psychological condition that puts his or her testimony into question
Everyone facing a Nashville sexual abuse charge or charges of sexual assault of any kind needs a strong defense. You have the right to an attorney before speaking to law enforcement—contact Craft & Sheppard, PLC for the support you need to defend against these serious charges.
