Rape

Boston Rape Defense Lawyer

Hiring a qualified Boston defense attorney is critical to protecting your rights and reputation in the wake of a rape charge, or even when allegations have been made but charges have not yet been filed.

A Boston rape defense attorney can get out in front of the charges and fight for your rights and your reputation from the beginning.

Massachusetts law defines rape as sexual intercourse (penetration) against a person’s will or by threat of bodily harm. Lack of capacity may also be taken into account, as in instances where the victim is unconscious, asleep or intoxicated.

One of the primary evidentiary rules of Massachusetts’ rape laws, the “first complaint” doctrine, specified that only the first person to whom the victim complained can testify. An experienced Massachusetts defense lawyer can keep subsequent complaint testimony out of the record, thereby reducing the number of ghastly renditions of the alleged crime available for use as evidence.

Still, the advent of DNA evidence has uncovered numerous instances of men wrongfully convicted of rape. Common causes of false conviction include faulty eyewitness testimony, unfair or overbearing influence of investigators working with victims or witnesses to identify a suspect, failure of prosecutors to disclose evidence helpful to the defense, and ineffective defense attorneys.

Rape convictions in Massachusetts carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Mandatory sentences of 10 years are in place when a weapon is used and a second rape conviction carries a life sentence.

If you have been charged with rape in Massachusetts, hiring an experienced and aggressive Boston defense lawyer is a vital first step to fighting for your rights. Call Boston criminal defense lawyer Jeffrey R. Chapdelaine at 617-262-1800 for a free appointment to discuss your case.