When it comes to sex crimes, any activity related to child pornography may result in lengthy prison sentences, costly fines, and registration as a sex offender. Charges—and even mere accusations—can be devastating to families and careers.
If you are charged with possession of child pornography, it requires that you had an intent to possess such illegal material. This means that the prosecution must prove that you had an intention to possess child pornography and that you had reason to know of its true content and character.
Merely viewing pornographic images on a home computer doesn’t automatically result in a conviction. When an image is viewed on a computer, that image is essentially “cached” by the web browser, meaning it may exist on the computer without the individual having to download the image. In other words, if a person is aware of what they are viewing, he or she may not have been aware that they these images were automatically downloaded and saved on their computer. Hence, the person did not “knowingly possess’ the pornography.
Additionally, there are many ways you may have obtained images on your computer’s hard drive. Computers often have several users and files are typically cached in memory without your knowledge. Figuring out which user may have accessed or downloaded child pornography may benefit your case.
What to Do If You Are Charged with Possession of Child Pornography
If you have been charged with possession of child pornography, it is in your best interest to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney who has handled similar cases in the past and present. When you fully apprise your lawyer of all relevant information related to your case, he or she can properly defend your rights and freedom.
An attorney can investigate your case, examine all of the available evidence, and build a strong defense for you. With a lawyer on your side, you do not have to speak with law enforcement officers without your legal counsel present.
To discuss your legal options with our Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer, schedule a free consultation with the Law Office of David R. Fischer today.