Being accused of a crime can be a frustrating ordeal. Also, if you're found guilty of the crime, you'll have to deal with serious legal consequences, such as jail time, hefty fines, employment discrimination, and other related circumstances. For this reason, building a solid criminal defence strategy is essential to fight for your freedom and get out of legal trouble as quickly as possible.

So, if you've been charged with a criminal offence, below are the four ways to help you build a solid criminal defence:

1. Work With An Experienced Criminal Defense Lawyer

Dealing with a criminal charge requires a competent criminal defence lawyer's expertise, experience, and skills. With them by your side, you can develop a strong defence strategy to help improve your chances of avoiding a conviction.

Generally, seeking legal representation from a lawyer has several benefits. They can assess the circumstances of your criminal case and provide legal advice based on their assessment. They can also help you understand the criminal charges against you by telling you what to do and what's at stake if you get a conviction.

So, if you're looking for the right criminal defence attorney for your case, you may ask for recommendations from family and friends or research some prospects online. Once you have the list of potential lawyers, schedule a free consultation to get to know them better. You may also check this site and other legal platforms to obtain more information about the best lawyers who can represent you.

2. Familiarize Some Common Criminal Defenses

With the help of a lawyer, you can also establish a good defence strategy by utilizing some common defences as provided for under criminal law. You can raise these legal arguments to prove that you didn't commit the crime. They usually involve the process of presenting any doubts and legal flaws about the essential elements for the commission of the crime that the prosecution should prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

Some common defences you may use depending on your case include:
  • Mistaken Identity: Incorrect witness identification of your identity as the perpetrator may be a defence in a criminal charge.
  • Alibi: You can't be guilty of a criminal offence if your lawyer can prove that you were somewhere else when the crime happened.
  • Police Misconduct: You can also raise this defence if you believe the police officers engaged in unlawful behaviours just to build a case against you. Some acts of police misconduct include lying-in police reports, forcing witnesses to testify against you, and planting or doctoring evidence.
  • Probable Cause: You can also use it as a defence if your lawyer can prove that the police authorities have no probable cause to arrest you because you've committed or are about to commit a crime.
  • Self-Defence: If you believe that you face imminent danger to your life and use force to alleviate the danger, then you may not be faulted for committing whatever you've done against the other person.
All these may be utilized by your attorney in building a solid criminal defence that may work in your favour.

3. Collect Evidence


Another way of building a solid criminal defence strategy is to gather relevant pieces of evidence for your case. Fighting a criminal charge can be challenging if you have no evidence to prove that you didn't commit the crime.

In that case, you need to work with your criminal defense lawyer in collecting the evidence you need to strengthen your defence strategy and attain a favourable outcome. The more evidence you present in court, the higher your chances of getting your criminal charges dismissed or reduced.

So, do whatever you can to gather and preserve certain pieces of evidence that will support your defence strategy. These can include verified testimonies of the witnesses, photos of the crime scene, CCTV footage, if there are any, and other essential papers that can boost your defence.

4. Refrain From Sharing Information With Anyone

You can't build a solid criminal defence if you keep sharing information about your case with anyone other than your lawyer. In most cases, disclosing relevant details of your criminal charge to other people may jeopardize the success of your case.

To avoid this, you need to be extra careful when discussing your situation with anyone not involved with the case. For example, you should refrain from posting anything that happens in the courtroom, the progress of your case, and other essential details that can compromise the strength of your criminal defense strategy.

Also, if you're under custodial investigation, make sure you're aware of your rights to remain silent unless in the presence of your legal representative. By doing this, you can have higher chances of getting a dismissal or a reduced sentence in case of a conviction.

Conclusion

No one wants to be charged with a criminal offence, especially if you're not responsible for it. Luckily, by keeping the information mentioned above in mind, you can successfully build a solid criminal defense strategy that can help you obtain a favourable verdict in court and get your freedom in no time.