Accused

About six months ago, I was arrested by the police. They brought me to the police station and searched me. A short time later, they released me and gave me a court summons. I then went to talk to a lawyer who explained the charges against me. I’ve been accused of assault, an offence under the Criminal Code.

Since then, I have been to court four times. I went through all of the steps of the legal process that lead up to the trial: appearance, disclosure of the evidence, and negotiations between my lawyer and the prosecutor. I assure you that I may be presumed innocent, but it is still difficult to live with the weight of a criminal charge on my shoulders. Fortunately, I am free right now. At one point, I considered pleading guilty so that I could obtain a lighter sentence and get this nightmare over with quickly. But I am innocent! I cannot confess to a crime that I didn’t commit. My lawyer explained that the judge wouldn’t accept it, anyway. So I took advantage of my right to have a trial.

My lawyer says that I have a good explanation to give to the judge. He called it “self defence.” We discussed my testimony, but not as much as I expected, “so that you won’t be influenced,” he explained. He told me about how the trial would work, how to act in front of the judge, how to answer questions, etc. He explained that the other lawyer, the prosecutor, would certainly ask me questions that I wouldn’t like. He insisted that I stay calm and just answer the questions asked. “All this is normal, don’t worry. This person has nothing to gain in this case – whether you are convicted or acquitted it is the same thing for her.”

The day of the trial, appearing at the courthouse made me scared! During the trial, I became furious whenever I heard witnesses say things that I didn’t like. My lawyer had told me to stay quiet and to wait for my turn to testify. The moment came, and I had a bad case of nerves. It felt like my entire destiny depended on my testimony. Luckily, it went fairly well and I had the time to explain myself to the judge.

At the end of the trial, the judge said that he wanted to take some time to reflect on the case before giving his verdict. The file was postponed to another date, in three weeks. I can’t wait to know the decision. The possibility of being found guilty or having to do time in prison makes me really nervous.