Few feelings are worse than being falsely accused of something you didn’t do. Whether the person who accused you of wrongdoing is malicious or mistaken, you may develop feelings of anger, confusion and despair. You aren’t a bad person. Why would you do what they accused you of?
Regardless of the incident, a criminal accusation is serious. If you’ve been accused, arrested or charged with a crime you didn’t commit, you should contact a defense attorney as soon as possible. It’s unwise to try to deal with your accuser or law enforcement without the guidance of an experienced, successful defense attorney. Keep reading to learn more about the signs of a false accusation and how to defend yourself.
What Is a False Accusation?
A false accusation is an incorrect allegation about your involvement in a criminal activity. A false accusation can be intentional or unintentional. False accusations can happen in several ways, including, but not limited to:
- Being incorrectly identified by a witness or victim as a suspect in a crime. Eyewitnesses can have an inaccurate or foggy memory of the events that took place. If you have similar physical traits to the perpetrator of a crime, you may be mistaken as the guilty individual.
- Having the police investigation and evidence link you to the crime. Police investigations and evidence can be mishandled, leading to an inaccurate conclusion.
- The victim of a crime lies to the police or jury about your involvement in a crime. This is when the victim of a crime knowingly lies to a police officer about your involvement in a crime or incident. Lying to the police or jury is malicious and illegal.
These are just a few ways you can get dragged into this unfortunate circumstance. Whether your accuser is mistaken or malicious, once you’ve been formally charged or informally accused, you are put on the defense.
However, it’s important not to address the situation with the accuser or other involved individuals. Remember to only discuss the matter of the case with your lawyer and anyone your lawyer advises you to speak with.
Four Strong Signs of a False Accusation
If you’ve been accused of a crime, here are a few signs that indicate a false accusation:
- Their story isn’t consistent. A good defense attorney will be able to find inconsistencies in the accuser’s story. Competing narratives in their testimony, such as what happened, where it happened and who was involved, are just a few starting areas where credibility can be assessed.
- The prosecution leans more on emotion rather than evidence. Emotional testimony is a frequent element in court cases, but sometimes in the absence of actual evidence, a prosecutor will lean on emotion to influence the jury. A good defense attorney will be able to discern what is genuine and what is not and make that clarification for the jury.
- The evidence against you is weak, incomplete or incorrect. If evidence is mishandled or hasn’t been verified by several witnesses, a good defense attorney will be able to identify those fallacies in the prosecutor’s case.
- You have a confirmed alibi or other exculpatory evidence. Finally, if you have a confirmed alibi, either through witness testimony or other hard evidence about your location during the time of the incident, you can further prove inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case.
What Should I Do If I’ve Been Falsely Accused?
- Stay cool, calm and collected. While it’s easy to feel indignant when wrongly accused, an expression of anger could influence people’s perception of your involvement. It isn’t easy or fun, but it’s best to remain stoic and avoid immediate reaction to accusations.
- Don’t try to sort it out by yourself. While you may feel driven to prove your innocence immediately, you shouldn’t try to explain yourself or what happened to anyone other than your lawyer. Your words and statements could be twisted and used against you.
- Contact a defense attorney as soon as possible. The best thing to do after being falsely accused of a crime is to contact a defense attorney as soon as possible. Don’t talk with anyone, including law enforcement, without the guidance of a legal expert. A qualified attorney will help you build a solid defense and can identify inconsistencies and falsehoods in your accuser’s testimony.
If you’ve been wrongly accused of a crime, contact a local defense attorney who will fight for you. The team at Eng & Woods Attorneys at Law has experience defending others who have been in your shoes. Visit our contact page today to get started.
