thelesterlee
If you have been charged with a serious crime, the first thing you should do is seek legal advice from a lawyer or other trusted legal advisor. He or she will be the most knowledgeable about the laws and procedures in your city or will be able to assist you in obtaining the assistance you need.
Since the evidence is pure and the memory is strong, the first few moments are crucial. You will save time, money, and mental turmoil later on in the process by collecting evidence right away.
Here, we look at some of the evidence that can make or break a case if you have been accused of a crime.
Witness statements
Witness statements from those who were present at the time of the event are crucial to your case’s success. Witness testimony is taken seriously by juries because it seems to be more objective than that of those personally involved in the case, for obvious reasons.
The issue is that most people’s memories are far from flawless. Details may differ or the witness may be too unsure to testify if witness statements are not made quickly. If you know any of the witnesses to the crime for which you have been charged, make a note of their contact details for an expert team of criminal defense attorneys. Make a list of all other witnesses who may be able to help. Try contacting businesses on the street to see if any staff observed the incident from inside.
Video evidence
Seeing is believing, so video is a solid piece of evidence. This is why you should always have cameras monitoring your property and why you should have a dash cam on your vehicle. That should make things a whole lot easier. Things get a little more complicated when you are out in public. Despite the fact that many companies have surveillance cameras, data retention practices may be inconsistent and many businesses do not store video for more than a week or so. Make sure you or your lawyers request it as soon as possible after the incident.
Photos
Photos and even diagrams can be useful evidence, although not necessarily as much as video. Photos of tire tracks can help investigators to gauge speed, pictures of injuries can help to determine how it was carried out, and so on. Diagrams can help you to jot down what you think happened and remain consistent.
Receipts
When asked to explain where they were and what they were doing at a specific time and on a specific day, most people would struggle to answer. Nonetheless, the law wants you to be able to account for your whereabouts honestly. It can be used against you if you aren’t truthful, even if it’s unintentional. That means you could be forced to admit that you don’t know where you are at any given time, which could be used against you. Fortunately, transactions made with your bank card or receipts for stores showing a date and timestamp can help to determine your whereabouts at the time the crime was committed.
