What Can I Do to Get the Best Result?
- Complete a course in anger management
- Obtain effective character references
- Engage Armstrong Legal to act for you
- Receive alcohol counselling if you have an alcohol problem
- Agree to a final AVO if one is being sought
Complete a course in anger management
Completing a course or counselling sessions in anger management demonstrates to the court that you are serious about ensuring that you will not commit similar offences in the future. Upon completion of the course you should obtain a report from the organisation providing the counselling / training. We also recommend that you write a letter to the court indicating what you have learnt from the counselling / training.Obtain effective character references
It is our experience that a well drafted court character reference can have an impact upon the sentence that is imposed by the court. We believe that a court character reference must paint a picture of your character. If your character references don’t help you stand out from the other offenders in court then you will be dealt with just like all the other cases.Most court character references make statements like this “James Brown is hardworking, energetic and generous with his time and money”. We believe that these references have very little impact upon the sentence imposed by the Court. As some Magistrate’s comment I have never read a bad character reference. But by the use of examples, illustrations and stories a referee can bring your character to life.
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Click here to download our character reference guide. |
Engage Armstrong Legal to act for you
Armstrong Legal has a team of eight lawyers who specialise in representing clients charged with assault. These lawyers appear daily before the Local and District Courts in New South Wales. The team includes an accredited specialist in Criminal law, the author of a criminal law text book and a former barrister with 24 years experience.
What this means for you:- Your lawyer will know the Magistrate and how best to approach them;
- Your lawyer has specialist knowledge as to what penalties and orders to ask for;
- Your lawyer knows what to say and more importantly what not to say.
Receive alcohol counselling if you have an alcohol problem
It is common practise where an offender has a number of alcohol related offences on their record for a Magistrate to question the offender as to whether they have an alcohol problem. If you do have an alcohol problem it is wise to have alcohol counselling to help you abstain from alcohol or reduce your alcohol intake. Under the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act the court must take into account your attempts to rehabilitate yourself when imposing a sentence.Agree to a final apprehended violence order
If you are pleading guilty to an assault offence and the victim of the assault (or the police on their behalf) is seeking an apprehended domestic violence order the court is duty bound to make an order except in some limited circumstances. So it is in your interests to agree to the making of an order that the court is likely to make anyway. It demonstrates to the court that you are keen to ensure that the victim is adequately protected in the future.
