It's a special prosecuting agency that deals with these sex crime cases in Los Angeles and across the country. Many of the District Attorney's offices have taken the position to assign specific prosecutors who all they do is deal with sex crimes.
That would probably be the first reason you want a sex crime defense attorney if you're charged with a sexual-related crime. The prosecutors are specializing, and the police agencies specialize a lot of time. They have special detectives who deal with sex crimes all day long.
So, your defense attorney sure as heck better is familiar with dealing with sex crimes. That's where I come in. I've been doing this now for nearly 30 years. I've handled thousands of sex crime cases from the investigative phase through the trial. So, I know how to fight these cases.
I know how to negotiate these cases if that's what is necessary. I know what it takes to get the best possible results.
Experience Is Crucial for Best Outcome
And that's what it requires. It requires experience when you're talking about your defense attorney. They've got to be experienced, not only in criminal defense but in sex crimes in particular, and you have to figure out what you're charged with and what your attorney can do to best represent you.
So, experience, I would say, is number one. Number two, you want somebody who knows how to deal with the prosecutors you're going to be matched up against.
It's a whole separate agency within the District Attorney's office if you're charged with a sex crime. District Attorney's office is going to have a hierarchy.
They're going to have the prosecutor specifically assigned to your case. They're also going to have the prosecutor's supervisor, and then they're going to have an assistant head and a head deputy in that courthouse.
So, your attorney sure as heck better knows how to deal with those people -- which people to avoid and which people are the best to approach if you're trying to resolve a particular case.
Knowledge of the Criminal Justice System
So, first, it is experience. Then, they know the system that you're going to have to deal with -- knowing the prosecutors and knowing the judges as well. Often in these sex crime cases, judges will have their say-so as well.
If you work out a deal with the prosecutor and the judge doesn't like it, the judge can refuse to accept the agreement. Now, what do you do? You've got to figure out as a criminal defense attorney who deals with sex crimes what the next move is, and this happens, in my experience, all the time, where unseasoned attorneys get these severe sex crime cases, and they don't know what to do.
They do not know how to handle them. They don't know who to talk to. They're getting stonewalled by the prosecutor, and they don't know how to handle it.
Then there are those sex crime cases that need to be fought. In other words, you've got to do some damage to the prosecution's case at a preliminary hearing, for example; otherwise, they're just going to step all over your client. They're not going to listen to what you say, and they'll try to ram a resolution down your client's throat that is unacceptable.
Standard Sex Crime Charges in California
- Penal Code 311 PC – child pornography,
- Penal Code 647.6 PC – child molestation,
- Penal Code 288 PC – lewd acts with minor,
- Penal Code 288a PC – oral copulation with minor,
- Penal Code 290 PC – failure to register as a sex offender,
- Penal Code 314 PC – indecent exposure,
- Penal Code 647(b) PC - prostitution,
- Penal Code 243.4 PC - sexual battery,
- Penal Code 261PC – rape,
- Penal Code 261.5 PC – statutory rape,
- Penal Code 266h and 266i PC – pimping and pandering,
- Penal Code 288.4 PC – arrange a meeting with minor for lewd purposes,
- Penal Code 288.3 PC - contacting minor to commit felony,
- Penal Code 288.5 PC - continuous sexual abuse of a child,
- Penal Code 647(a) PC – lewd conduct in public,
- Penal Code 647(J)(4) PC – revenge porn,
- Penal Code 653.22 PC - loitering for prostitution,
- Penal Code 653.23 PC - supervising or aiding prostitution.
Consent Defense in Sex Crime Cases
If someone claims you committed a sex crime against them and you legitimately believe they gave consent to the sex act you are being accused of, that might be considered a consent defense to the alleged crime.
People often get will together for a date, especially with dating apps. Sometimes they will drink too much and end up getting together sexually. And, usually, the woman wakes up the next day and believes that something wrong happened.
For example, she might believe that she would have never gotten sexually involved with somebody she had just met through a dating app. Thus, the man is accused of doing something criminal, such as sexual assault.
In some cases, when someone can't even remember what happened the night before and wakes up naked in bed, they will seek to blame somebody for what has happened. I have seen many of these cases where the man has done nothing wrong.
For example, both parties became intoxicated by drinking, and he perceives that she agrees to have sex. Next, the man is confused when he can't understand why he is accused of doing something wrong. Further, the police have methods to try and show there was no consent. It depends on the circumstances, but consent in a sex crime case is typically a complete defense if it can be proven.
Consult with the Hedding Law Firm for Help
So, if you're looking for the best, if all the marbles are on the line, you're charged with a sex crime, pick up the phone now. Ask for a meeting with Ron Hedding.
You're going to meet with someone who has the experience, who's worked for the District Attorney's office, who's worked for a Superior Court judge, and has been a criminal defense attorney defending people just like you for the last 28 years. Hedding Law Firm is based in Los Angeles County, and we serve people throughout Southern California. Contact us for a free case consultation.
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