What to do if you are accused of a crime you didn’t commit
It can be terrifying to be arrested for a crime you committed but when you know that you didn’t do it, then it is even worse. Not only are you innocent but while the police are questioning you, they are not necessarily out searching for the real culprit. Time can be of the essence here, so how do you make sure you can clear your name as quickly as possible and move on with your life?
Hire a Good Defense Lawyer
Even if you know you did not commit the crime, it is vital to hire a good defense lawyer such as Edelson Law Barristers as soon as possible. They can sit in a police interview with you and help you to answer questions as thoroughly as possible. It is also their job to speak up for you in court. Being accused of a crime you did not commit is daunting enough but hiring a good defense lawyer early on can help you to make sense of what is going on around you and explain any legal jargon. It may even allow you clear your name before the case goes to court.
Forensics
If you are not guilty of a crime, then forensics are your friend. If the police can find no forensic evidence linking you to the crime, then it makes it a lot harder for them to prove it had anything to do with you. It may be daunting for you but submitting to a DNA or a fingerprint test could be the best decision you ever made.
CCTV
CCTV is important as it will allow the police to establish if you were in an area when a crime was committed or not. The most obvious footage will be checked but make sure you tell your lawyers exactly where you were and where you might have traveled to at the time of the offense. If CCTV can put you being in a completely different place at the time, then the charges should be dropped. There may be CCTV in places that have not been checked. For example, a lot of front door bells have CCTV in them, so remember to tell your lawyer if you were in a residential area or visiting a friend when the crime was committed.
Witnesses
Your lawyer will tell you not to approach potential witnesses yourself as if the case goes to court, the prosecution could argue that you have encouraged the witnesses to say certain things, and this could discredit your alibi. However, you can provide your lawyer with a list of people who could vouch for your whereabouts at the time of the offense was committed or who can provide statements about events leading up to this time. Your lawyer will probably ask you for a witness list, so think carefully about who may have seen you at the time the crime was committed. Don’t forget to include anyone, as they might be able to provide vital evidence.
Follow these guidelines to help you clear your name. Good luck.
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