Ways That Your Attorney Can Cast Doubt On Photos Of Alleged Domestic Violence
Posted on: 12 November 2018
When police arrive on the scene of a reported domestic violence situation, they'll almost always look for signs of physical violence. As part of their investigation, the police will document these apparent injuries with photos. The prosecution will then use the photos that depict the victim's injuries in an effort to show that physical domestic violence did indeed occur. If you're the defendant in a domestic violence case, you need to find the right attorney who has the experience and skills to successfully defend you against these claims. One way of doing so is to attack the validity of the photos, which your attorney can do in these ways.
They Aren't Consistent With Physical Violence
Anyone can have a bruise and blame it on someone hitting him or her, and this story may initially seem believable. If you're innocent and are determined to get the domestic violence charge dropped, your attorney may be able to argue that the bruises on the victim aren't consistent with physical violence. Sometimes, you may even know how the person got his or her bruises. For example, if he or she fell on an icy driveway and got a bruise on his or her chin, share this detail with your attorney.
They Appear To Be Self-Inflicted
People will sometimes cause self-inflicted injuries and then call the police to report domestic violence. An angry spouse or partner may do this in an attempt to punish his or her significant other for any number of reasons. You may have seen such a scenario take place — if so, you need to provide as many details as possible to your domestic violence attorney. He or she could use experts to inspect the photos of the bruises and make the claim that the injuries appear to be self-inflicted, rather than caused by you.
They Don't Match The Timeline
A medical expert can often look at a bruise and give an assessment as to how long it has been since the injury occurred. One of the reasons is that bruises often change color over time. As a bruise gets older, it may turn shades of green and yellow, for example. If it's the medical expert's professional opinion that the bruise appears to be four days old, and it was photographed after the victim had alleged that the domestic violence had just occurred, the timeline of events doesn't add up. This may be enough to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the accuser's claims.
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