Assault: The Most Common Crime in Calgary: Part 2
In Part 1 of this article, you learned a fact that might have come as a bit of a shock: of all the crimes defined by Calgary law, more people each year are charged with assault than any other crime. Only traffic violations and some minor "disturbance" crimes are seen more frequently in the Calgary courts than charges for assault.
From this, some might think that assault charges are relatively minor. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you or a family member has been charged with an assault in the Greater Calgary Area you are facing a serious legal battle one that could affect the rest of your life. Read on to see why these charges are so serious and how you can best defend yourself and protect your rights and interests when you've been charged with assault in Calgary.
Assault Charges Can Lead to Jail Time and Significant Monetary Fines
Though it is true that a charge for common or simple assault can be laid against you as a "summary offence" or "summary conviction offence" the penalties for which are lower than those for "indictable offences" even a summary conviction on an assault charge can have serious consequences for your future. Your family, your community, your career, and options in every area of your life can be severely limited due to an assault conviction.
In Calgary, no summary offence/summary conviction offence carries a potential penalty of more than 18 months in jail and/or a fine of $5,000. Those are the limits on the punishment(s) you may receive if you are convicted of assault as a summary offence. But while that may not seem like much, take a minute to imagine what a year and a half away from your family would mean. A year and a half away from your job and career. A year and a half away from your friends, your hobbies, and your community. That's a long time to miss out on things, and can lead to substantial and sometimes irreversible setbacks and changes.
Worse still, many assault charges proceed as indictable offences, which carry potential penalties of years in jail, not to mention stiffer monetary fines. You may be innocent of the assault you've been charged with, you may believe your case all comes down to a simple misunderstanding, you may think all it will take is two minutes in court to prove your innocence. The fact is, if you've been charged with criminal assault, then the police and Crown prosecutors are taking your case very seriously, and the outcome won't really affect their lives one way or the other.
Given how much your assault charge will affect your life, don't you think you should take it even more seriously?
Calgary Assault Charges Deserve a Vigorous Defence: Call a Lawyer Today
You deserve the best defence possible against your assault charge. For a free consultation with an experienced, dedicated defence lawyer, please call my office today.