Picture Credit

Could you be caught on the wrong side of the law? You might dismiss this possibility completely. But don’t be so sure that a day or two in the courtroom isn’t in your future. You might have broken a law or two without even realizing. Just look at celebrities. There’s always a news story about Justin Bieber joy riding or a starlet caught for drug possession. Are you sure there’s no chance that you could be next? Before we look into what to do if you are arrested, let’s think about some of the crimes you might have committed.

Cyber Theft & Piracy

Image Via Pixabay

Cyber crime is all the rage right now and authorities are eager to crack down on it. Perhaps because they have the heavy weight of film producers and record companies weighing down on them. After all, most of the major film producers have signed an agreement to put a stop to piracy. Now, you might say that you’ve never pirated a song, movie or TV show in your life. But are you sure about that? Are you sure you’ve never downloaded one of the Oscar nominees leaks in December? Perhaps you’ve streamed a TV show online without using a subscription service like Netflix. If you have then congratulations, you’re officially a criminal. You might think that cyber piracy is still seen as a petty crime. But you’d be wrong. In the UK, there have been pushes by parliament to get the maximum sentence for piracy up to ten years. That stretches beyond the prison time a convicted pedophile would face!

But before you start panicking and deleting your internet history know this. It’s unlikely you’ll be arrested for watching a film or downloading music. Authorities tend to be after people who are stealing it in the first place, rather than the downloaders. So you can relax when you go over to Coke And Popcorn for the most part. Though, there have been cases where random people have been made an example of. If a letter comes through your door or you get an email from your internet provider, you might need a lawyer.

Pornography

Picture Link

We’re not going to spend too much time talking about this one. Mainly because we doubt anyone is going to admit to looking at pornography online. Despite what their internet history might claim. Besides, unless you are looking at some seriously twisted material, it’s unlikely you’ll get a visit from the police. Again, authorities are usually far more interested in catching those making porn. But, in recent years, we have seen crackdowns on pornography viewers. In particular, the UK government blocked porn searches unless the internet user contacted their provider to opt-in. We can imagine that probably did stop quite a few people looking at these sites. Mainly to avoid the embarrassment of actually calling up their provider to request access. But that’s not the only way you could get in trouble with porn. It’s easier than you probably think to stumble on a site that is illegal. Many people who have been arrested for viewing illegal porn have claimed they had no idea it was illegal. While these claims should be viewed with skepticism, it’s worth considering next time you venture on to the weird side of the web.

Traffic Crimes

Image Source

Who hasn’t broken a few speed limits when they’ve been cruising down the highway in a fast car? Not many people, we’d wager. It’s easy to slip across the lines of the law when you’re out on the road. Either because you dared to take a risk or because you didn’t know you were breaking the law. We’ve all had arguments with people over traffic laws. In fact, a recent poll revealed seventy percent of drivers had no idea what some of the most important signs meant. Including the national speed limit sign. A skilled defense lawyer could have a field day with that little nugget of information.

But perhaps one of the reasons that we don’t always abide by the law on the road is we underestimate the ramifications. After all, a few points on your license isn’t exactly the end of the world. But it’s not wise to make this assumption. There have been cases where an accident on the road has resulted in the charge of manslaughter. Then again, you’d still be facing less time than if you were caught pirating a film.

Tax Fraud

Picture Location

This is another one that usually results in a hefty crime or sentence. But at the same time, it’s easy for people to slip up here. Tax law is difficult to understand, particularly if you’re trying to pay it for your own business. Are we saying that tax fraud is now excusable? Of course not but many people have been charged with this who, to put it bluntly, had no idea what they were doing. If you think there might be a problem with your taxes, speak to a lawyer. They’ll be able to help you with what you owe and what you need to pay.

Caught In The Act?

Credit URL

If are charged with committing any one of these crimes the first thing you’ll need to do is find a good defense attorney. The best defense attorney are former prosecutors. They know exactly what the prosecutor is going to argue before they even walk into court. Have a look at a site such as formerdistrictattorneys.com for some more information on this.

Once you’ve contacted your lawyer, sit down with them and explain all the facts. Don’t leave anything out and don’t even think about lying. It’s not worth it, and you will be caught out. For a lawyer to provide the best defense, they need to know everything, no matter how embarrassing or trivial.

Finally, don’t panic. Nine times out of ten if you’ve committed one of these crimes the punishment will be minor. But you still need a great attorney to argue your case. Otherwise, you could be facing a far greater punishment than you would ever imagine.