Greenwich Sexual Assault in the Fourth-Degree Lawyer
Sexual assault in the fourth degree is charged when a person subjects another to any sexual contact without consent. Sexual assault in the fourth-degree is not usually considered a violent offense. The elements of sexual assault in the fourth degree do not require any violence. If there was violence, they would probably be charged with a more serious degree of sexual assault, so typically it is not considered to be violent by the book, however, if people are hearing about the charge in the community, they do often think of it is as a violent crime with social stigma.
The stigma resulting from sexual assault charges can damage a person’s reputation, and hinder someone’s ability to find and maintain employment. With the stakes so high, the assistance of a lawyer is vital. A skilled sexual assault lawyer can build a solid defense for their defendant and will fight for a positive outcome. If you have been charged with sexual assault in the fourth-degree, hire a sexual assault in the fourth-degree lawyer.
How Greenwich Courts Treat Sexual Assault
Courts do treat sexual battery in this degree seriously if the person being touched is 16 or older, it is a class A misdemeanor charge, but if the person being touched is under the age of 16, it is actually a class D felony. The courts do take it seriously especially because is someone is coming in and making a complaint, they want to make sure to protect that person’s rights, and they want to make sure to prevent the accused from potentially doing it to someone else. In a case where the accuser is looking for a conviction or looking for a certain result, the court will probably try to make that happen for them. A Greenwich sexual assault in the fourth-degree lawyer can work hard to assure that an individual’s rights are being protected, and that someone is fighting for the right outcome for them.
Aggravating Factors
For a sex assault in the fourth degree, the most common aggravating factor is if the victim or the complaining party is under 16 years old, it is going to aggravate the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony and also enhance any of the potential penalties.
Potential Penalties
For sexual assault in the fourth degree in Greenwich, if the complaining party is 16 or older, the defendant, if they are convicted or found guilty or plead guilty, can face up to a year of incarceration, probation, and fines. If the complaining party is under 16, then it is a class D felony so they could actually face up to five years in prison plus probation and a fine.
Role of an Attorney
An attorney will want to carefully look at any police reports, especially any statements of witnesses. They want to see if there is any hole in the allegations that they could use as leverage points for the defense. It is important for someone to hire a Greenwich sexual assault in the fourth-degree lawyer because that charge on someone’s criminal record, even as an arrest, could affect them for a lot longer than it actually takes for the case to resolve and the attorney might be able to help them avoid having that conviction on their record at all. It is also important because they are exposed, especially in the felony case, to longer periods of incarceration, the stakes are a lot higher so an individual wants someone who is experienced and can try to avoid the penalties.