Tampa Date Rape Defense Lawyer

Aggressive Defense for Sex Crimes

The act of rape is often pictured as taking place in a dark alley following an assault by a stranger or vagrant. Or by being kidnapped and abducted to some remote and lonely location. This is very far from the normal case and these random acts are the exception and not the rule.

Most cases of rape take place between individuals that are known to one another. Often there is even a pre-existing relationship and perhaps even a relationship that allowed for sex either currently or in the past. Most victims by survey are familiar with their attacker and were caught in situations that simply got out of control. The fact that this crime takes normally takes place in private and not uncommonly between individuals that might otherwise have had sex makes for an interesting and quite complex legal battle. The proof often lies only in the word of an injured party who may very well have motivations to create a scenario of rape.

The crime of date rape is also known as acquaintance rape as it occurs amongst individuals that are familiar with each other and are often in some type of mutual social situation such as a date, an outing, a club environment or a party. When sex is forced upon another or committed without mutual consent then this becomes rape. The concept of consent has long been an area of "shades of gray" and can be the make-or-break point of a case. It is critical that your Tampa sex crimes defense lawyer is well acquainted with how to both prosecute and defend charges of date rape and rape in general. It takes years of practice to adequately understand where and how these cases fall apart.

Drug-Facilitated Date Rape

Should the date rape charges also include accusations of the use of drugs to induce a state of accessibility then the matter can become quite serious. There are a number of drugs, such as "roofies" or GHB, which are commonly used to sedate or incapacitate another into a state whereby they can be taken advantage of.

Anytime that drugs, or even alcohol, is used to aid an individual to take sexual advantage of another then this is considered drug-facilitated date rape. Sometimes this also is termed Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) and is treated as a serious sex crime by the law.

Attorney Timothy Hessinger earned tremendous experience and recognition for the work he did in the State Attorney's Office prosecuting numerous crimes of this nature. This gives a significant edge to the work that The Law Office of Timothy Hessinger can do to break down a case and often get it dismissed before even going to trial. Sex crimes can result in lengthy prison terms and other consequences that will follow you for years. Please don't delay and endanger your chances of a beneficial outcome. Contact a Tampa date rape defense attorney for a full evaluation of your case.