Sexual Assault of a Child

Sexual Assault of a Child Defense Lawyers | Wisconsin Defense Attorneys

If you or a loved one has been accused of the sexual assault of a child or charged with the sexual assault of a child it is important that you contact an experience defense attorney immediately. The consequences for the sexual assasult of a child if convicted can be several years in prison and the requirement to register on the sex offender registry. It is never a good idea to represent yourself in court. In a case like this, it is especially important that you find an experienced defense lawyer right away. Even if you have not been charged yet, it would be helpful for you to contact us for a free consultation. The defense attorneys at Birdsall Law Offices have as much as over 25 years of experience and success in defending serious cases such as the sexual assault of a child as well as other sex crimes. There are different levels of charges as well as different penalties for charges of sexual assault of a child. During consultation we can explain to you the details of what is possible in your specific case once you provide us with details regarding the matter. Contact the experienced defense attorneys at Birdsall Law Offices today for a free of charge 1 hour consultation.

If you've been charged with a sex crime the attorneys at the Birdsall Law Offices located in both Milwaukee, WI and Green Bay, WI are ready to defend and protect you. Sometimes, what may be considered by one person to be consensual sex results in a criminal charge for date rape. Or, viewing a particular website – no matter a person's knowledge or intentions – leads to multiple charges for possession of child pornography. Sex crimes carry a lifetime of consequences and ruin more than just your reputation In addition to your liberty, you can lose your job, marriage, and children. People convicted of sex crimes can be publicly identified as a sex offender and, in most communities, can be forced to move. The criminal defense lawyers at Birdsall Law Offices defend people facing the fear and uncertainty that comes with being accused of any type of sex crime. Please contact us to call or email our law office in either Milwaukee or Green Bay today for a free consultation to learn how we can defend and protect you.

The State must prove 2 elements:

That you had a sexual contact, and/or intercourse with the victim
That the victim was under the age of 13 years (First Degree Sexual Assault), or 16 years (Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child), at the time of the alleged sexual contact/intercourse

Sexual contact is the touching of any part of your body, or any object you control, with any of the other persons "intimate parts" (breasts, penis, anus, buttocks or vagina). The State must show that this was done with the intent to gain sexual satisfaction or to humiliate the victim. The touching may be over or under clothing.

You cannot use the defense that you did not know the victim's age, or that you mistakenly judged the victim's age, thinking him/her to be older than he/she really was. Also, stating that an underage victim consented to have sexual contact/intercourse with you is not a viable defense as minors are considered legally incapable to give consent.

The charge changes to Second Degree Sexual Assault of a child if the child was 14-16 years old. From ages 16-18, it is a Fourth Degree Sexual Assault (a misdemeanor). A caregiver can also be charged with a felony for the failure to prevent such assaults if the caregiver knew that the abuse was occurring.

Sexual Assault of a Child is a highly sensitive offense that is falsely charged in many instances. Bathing, or playful contact such as a pat on the behind, can be misinterpreted as sexual contact. In bitter divorce cases, one parent might make powerful assault accusations to try to discredit the other parent and gain custody and placement rights.Making such cases even more difficult is the fact that false allegations can become true in the child's mind with repeated interviews by parents, police, prosecutors, social workers, and treatment professionals, which tend to reaffirm even false accusations to the point where the child actually believes that some incident occurred. This troubling phenomenon has sent many innocent people to prison.

> Wisconsin penalties for Sexual Assault of a Child: