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NJ Aggravated Sexual Assault charges are among the most serious crimes.
These charges are classified as First-Degree felonies.
The term for a felony in New Jersey is Indictable Offense.
We are sorry to break the bad news but these types of cases carry lengthy prison sentences.
New Jersey defines it as a crime in which one person forces another person to have:
There are a number of situations where you can be charged with this crime.
Below, you will find different instances & scenarios as to when this crime is committed.
Aggravated Sexual Assault is First-degree crime.
You are facing the following:
Under New Law (NJSA 2C:43-7.2) there is something called the No Early Release Act (NERA).
This law states that if you are convicted of Aggravated Sexual Assault, you will not be eligible for parole until you serve 85% of your prison sentence.
Example, if you are sentenced to ten years in prison, you have to complete 85% of your ten year sentence before you become eligible for early release.
We have included the full NERA Statute for your review.
If you have been convicted of aggravated sexual assault, the judge must sentence you to “life supervision”.
This means that after you are released from prison, you will have many limitations on what you will be able to do when you get out.
Your parole officer can drop in on you unannounced and search your home for prohibited internet or smartphone use.
Yes, your internet use will be extremely limited or non-existent.
You will have to submit to drug & alcohol testing.
In limited circumstances, you can apply to remove this “life supervision” after 15 years.
Under New Jersey’s Megan’s law, you will have to register as a sex offender at the local police department where you live.
Every case is different but you have to report frequently.
Of course, you have to immediately report any changes of address & employment.
Community Notification
If you are subject to Megan’s Law, then you will be subjected to community notification.
This means that your name will be put into a national sex offender registry. Anyone who works or lives near you will have access to your information.
Your Information Will Be Available Online
Under Megan’s, the New Jersey State Police will publish your personal information.
Your personal information will include:
The Statute of Limitations does not run until two years after the victim reaches the age of 18 years (assuming that the victim was a minor at the time of the commission of the offense) or five years after the commission of the crime, whichever is later.
See N.J.S.A. 2C:1-6b (4)
We advise every client that walks through our doors to never speak to law enforcement.
You risk incriminating yourself every time you try to explain things to law enforcement.
The truth is that you always have time before trial to give a statement to the police.
Remember, if you make one single mistake while giving your statement, you can never take it back.
It’s that “innocent statement” that will land you in prison for a decade.
If you are the subject of an NJ aggravated sexual assault investigation, call us.
We are here to protect you.
If the police approach you to get your side of the story, remember these commandments:
1. Never Speak to the police until you retain a lawyer
2. Never Answer police questions until you retain a lawyer.
3. Never Admit anything to the police until you retain a lawyer.
It is human nature to try and explain your side of things but you should never try to explain anything if you are being investigted for a crime.
The problem is that you never help your situation when you answer police questions.
In fact, you make matters worse because the tiniest piece of information can get twisted.
If your accuser is an adult, the strongest defense for this type of crime is “consent”.
Consent means that you and the alleged victim agreed to engage in the underlying sexual behavior.
Even if the government has DNA evidence against you, they have to prove that your actions were “non-consensual”.
These cases become credibility issues or “he said, she said” cases.
The victim in your case most likely had a “rape kit” performed.
This means that medical professionals swabbed certain areas of the alleged victim’s body & obtained your DNA.
This only proves that you were together, but it doesn’t prove that the sexual contact was either forced or without consent.
The most important job of your NJ aggravated sexual assault lawyer is gathering evidence that supports your version of the encounter.
Evidence supporting the “consent” defense consists of:
Important:
This defense is not available to you if your accuser is a minor.
A minor cannot legally “consent” to engage in sexual behavior.
For the government to prove that you committed aggravated sexual assault against your accuser, they need to prove that you committed one of the acts defined above.
If the State obtains your DNA from your accuser, this is very strong evidence against you.
However, if the State failed to obtain your DNA evidence from the alleged victim, their case grows very weak.
Now, if the State does not have DNA evidence, they can still build a strong case against you if you provided a statement to the police.
Many people who are accused of this crime provide a statement to the police where they admit to having sex.
This could be a fatal mistake.
Once you admit to the police that you had sex with your accuser, the State doesn’t need your DNA evidence.
They have your statement.
As you have read, aggravated sexual assault charges are extremely serious & carry life-changing consequences.
These charges are not to be taken lightly.
The best advice we have is that you do your research & get a lawyer that will fight for you every step of the way.
Meet with different attorneys and choose a lawyer that comes across as a real fighter.
Aggravated sexual assault cases are long battles that can span months & years.
You need an attorney that will aggressively investigate and advocate for you throughout this long process.
You or a loved one have been arrested. Understandably, you are terrified & have a lot of questions. You’ve heard about plea bargains & probation, but the process is overwhelming. You want a local attorney near you to represent you.
Mr. Peyrouton is from Ridgewood & handles all types of criminal matters in New Jersey The New Jersey Law Journal recently published one of his articles on the subject of criminal law.
Regardless of the criminal charges you are facing, we are here to defend & protect you. Whether you are facing a restraining order, drug charge, theft charge, or aggravated assault charge, we are here to help you. Even a DWI case can really complicate your life.
If we can’t get your charges dismissed, we can either get them downgraded or place you in a diversionary program. The point is, our criminal defense lawyers will fight tirelessly to get you the best result possible. Take advantage of our free consultation to see how we can help.
Below, you will find a few of our practice areas.
Our Hackensack criminal lawyers represent clients in Bergen County & nearby counties & cities.
There are plenty of excellent Hackensack criminal lawyers in our area. Most, if not all of them, offer free, 20-minute, consultations. However, our free consultations do not have a time limit. You will never feel rushed.
The best way for us to help you is to patiently listen to your side of the story. Your version of events will serve as the basis for your legal defense. It is during these initial meetings that your memory of the event is fresh in your mind. Why we would rush you during such an important aspect of your case.
We understand that your choice of attorney could mean the difference between your freedom and spending years behind bars.
When you hire an attorney, you are entering a long-term relationship. For this reason, it is important that you feel comfortable with the team of Hackensack criminal lawyers that will represent you.
Our criminal defense law firm handles criminal matters throughout Northern New Jersey — including, but not limited to, clients in the following localities:
BERGEN COUNTY, including Hackensack, NJ, Teaneck, Fort Lee, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Englewood, Bergenfield, Paramus, Mahwah, Cliffside Park, Ridgewood, Lodi, Lyndhurst, and Palisades Park;
PASSAIC COUNTY, including Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, Wayne, and West Milford;
HUDSON COUNTY, including Jersey City, Union City, Bayonne, North Bergen, Hoboken, West New York, Kearny, and Secaucus;
ESSEX COUNTY, including Newark, East Orange, Irvington, West Orange, Montclair, Belleville, City of Orange, Livingston, Nutley, Maplewood, and Millburn.
HACKENSACK OFFICE
200 Passaic St, Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone: (201) 686-9538
alan@peyroutonlaw.com
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Before making your choice of an attorney, you should give this matter careful thought. If this advertisement is inaccurate or misleading, you may report same to the Committee on Attorney Advertising at Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 037, Trenton, NJ 08625
