After you’ve been charged for domestic violence, you may be feeling confused and shocked with many questions swirling around your mind. You’ll want to know the details surrounding the charges and what your next move should be.
Our trained lawyers are experienced in building cases for people accused of:
- Assault, Assault Causing Bodily Harm, Assault with a Weapon, and Aggravated Assault
- Sexual Assault
- Threats
- Criminal Harassment
Assault
This type of charge can arise from merely threatening to assault someone or from actually applying force to someone without their consent.
Assault Causing Bodily Harm
An assault charge will move up to this charge when physical injuries are noticeable on a person’s body. According to Pardons Canada, the charge can result in a summary conviction with a jail sentence of up to 18 months, or as an indictable offence with a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Assault with a Weapon
This charge entails physical harm that was committed or threatened to be committed with a weapon (a gun, a knife, or anything other object) against someone without their consent. This charge can also result in a summary conviction or an indictable offence.
Aggravated Assault
This is the most serious of the assault charges. It involves long-term injuries and near-fatal injuries to the victim. This assault charge always results in an indictable offence with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years, according to Pardons Canada.
Sexual Assault
This charge refers to an assault of a sexual nature that encroaches upon the victim’s sexual integrity. This includes physical contact with or without accompanying gestures, and threatening or non-threatening verbal content.
Threats
This type of charge consists of knowingly threatening someone regarding: death or physical harm to them; damage or destruction of their property; and physical harm or death to their animals.
Criminal Harassment
This type of charge involves stalking someone and acting either willfully blind, or recklessly toward the victim who indicated they wanted nothing to do with their stalker. The important thing is that the victim must have had a reason to fear for their safety because of their stalker’s behaviour. Said behaviour would consist of constantly following or watching the victim everywhere they went; constantly communicating directly or indirectly with the victim; and threatening the victim or the victim’s family.
It’s important to note that the gender of the attacker and victim mentioned in the charges above can be male or female, and the attacker and victim can be of the same gender.
What to Do about It
If you find you or someone close to you has been charged with one of the indictments above, the Jaswal & Krueger Criminal defence lawyers are here to help through every step of the legal proceedings, even at the Supreme Court of Canada if necessary. We serve clients in several areas of British Columbia, so for a free initial consultation or more information, visit our website or call us at 604-585-8898 today.
