If you have been charged with a crime like child abuse, it can be challenging to navigate your way through the legal system. As child abuse cases are very sensitive in nature, the accused can face public scrutiny and their personal life can be impacted in a variety of ways, including a damaged reputation and loss of income, among other serious concerns, like prison time. If you have been wrongfully accused of child abuse, you require an experienced child abuse defense attorney in Tampa that can assist you with deploying an effective defense strategy.
In this brief article, a criminal defense attorney with The Rickman Law Firm will discuss some of the most common defense strategies utilized against child abuse allegations. Remember, when you have been accused of a serious crime, you need a knowledgeable and experienced attorney that can offer you effective legal counsel.
Unfortunately, if you are having problems with your spouse or ex, they may create false allegations of child abuse or even coerce a child into participating in a testimony. This is especially common in child custody battles between parents. When false allegations are presented to a court, an experienced child abuse defense lawyer in Tampa can closely evualate the allegations. In some cases, the attorney may find inconsistencies in the allegations or prove through an investigation process that the allegations presented are entirely false.
As long as the defendant wasn’t neglectful in their actions, any injury a child experiences that isn’t a form of child maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation) is not considered child abuse and shouldn’t result in a criminal accusation. In other words, accidents happen, and if a child is injured accidentally, this is not against the law. For example, a scraped knee under your supervision is not a form of child abuse as the accused did not cause this to happen nor was their any malice involved in their role with the injury.
Although not everyone agrees on the ways a child can be disciplined, a parent has a right to discipline their child as they see fit as long as the discipline is within the confines of the law, meaning that the punishment is considered reasonable and didn’t result in an injury to the child. The verdict for many child abuse cases is determined by what exactly is considered “reasonable” in the eyes of the law. To learn more about this concept, consult an attorney.
As we discussed above, allegations of child abuse can encompass everything from physical abuse to verbal abuse to emotional abuse or sexual abuse of a child. If you have been accused of a child abuse, your case requires the attention of the best child abuse defense attorney in Tampa.
For a free consultation with a child abuse defense lawyer in Tampa, please contact The Rickman Law Firm today.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.