Proving Your Innocence In A Child Pornography Case
It’s an unfortunate reality that an innocent person can be accused of crimes related to child pornography. In many cases, even a false accusation can lead to permanent damage in that person’s life. Child pornography cases are extremely sensitive because people naturally want to protect children and most people will assume that accusations are true, even if there is plenty of evidence that they are false.
Unfortunately, a sometimes overzealous approach to charges of child pornography crimes can lead to false accusations. If child pornography is found on your computer, law enforcement and prosecutors will automatically assume that you intentionally downloaded it. However, in today’s age of technology where most people own multiple devices, the chances of child pornography being downloaded to your computer without your knowledge is surprisingly high.
If you’ve been accused of any crimes related to child pornography, the best way to protect your reputation and clear your name is to hire an experienced Gilbert sex crimes attorney who can provide legal guidance and representation.
How Can Someone Accidentally Obtain Child Pornography?
If someone has found child pornography on your device, the chance that you will be arrested and charged with a crime are very high, even if you are innocent. It’s very likely that law enforcement will not believe your claims of innocence. The most common ways that your Mesa criminal defense lawyer has seen people unintentionally obtain child pornography that led to false accusations are:
Accidentally Downloading Or Viewing The Content Online
The internet is full of child pornography, and innocent people can stumble across it without looking for it. One of the most common ways this happens in when someone is using a peer-to-peer network service. Because these networks are not regulated, files often contain child pornography. No files can be safely downloaded from these types of services.
Although you can delete the file once you realize what it is, the file is still not permanently removed from your computer. Also, deleting something off of your computer does not erase the online record that you downloaded the file. If you continue to use the peer-to-peer network, the file will remain on your hard drive for others to download, which can result in charges of distribution of child pornography – even if that was not your intention at all.
Opening Malicious Emails
Another common method of accidentally downloaded child pornography is through emails, most often from someone you don’t know. Never open an email from someone you don’t know or download content from an unknown email address. This will leave you vulnerable to viruses and malware in addition to the risk of unintentionally downloading illegal content such as child pornography.
Visiting Unsecure Websites
Be careful when you visit websites, download files, or open emails so you don’t make yourself vulnerable to hackers. Not only can hackers install viruses and malware on your computer, but they can all install child pornography and then use your IP address to share that content on the internet – all without your knowledge. This will make you look like a guilty distributor and eventually lead law enforcement to you. Once you’ve been arrested, the hacker will find a new victim and continue distributing their illegal content through another person’s IP address. Never download unknown software or files, be careful with what websites you visit, and avoid clicking on URLs from online chat forums. Make sure your antivirus software is up to date.
Sexting With Someone You Don’t Know
Internet dating continues to increase in popularity and often results in communications with people you haven’t met in person, leaving you at risk of sexting with someone who is underage. Sharing images with children, even if you don’t know their age, is grounds for child pornography and sex crimes charges. It’s best to avoid sexting altogether, but especially with someone you don’t know.
How Can An Arizona Sex Crimes Lawyer Help Me?
If you suspect you’ve downloaded illegal content, contact an Queen Creek sex crimes attorney immediately. Remove the peer-to-peer application from your computer so that content will not continue to be seeded. Your Chandler sex crimes law firm can defend you against any charges that may occur and help you prove that you did not intentionally seek out child pornography content. This can be done by showing the search terms that you used, obtaining proof that you never viewed the files, or proving that the was only viewed once until you realized what it contained.
Work With a Proven Criminal Defense Attorney If You’ve Been Falsely Accused
If you’ve been falsely accused of a crime related to child pornography, immediate action is crucial. Contact the experienced attorneys at VS Criminal Defense. We have worked with many clients facing similar false accusations and we are ready to help you, too. Schedule your confidential, obligation-free case evaluation today.
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Mesa, AZ 85202
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