Physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm defense lawyers
Physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm is a serious felony. Contact us at (414) 270-0202
Physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm is a Class C felony in Wisconsin. Individuals charged with Class C felonies face a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, $100,000.00 in fines, or both. Obviously these significant penalties indicate exactly how seriously the government considers these charges.
The criminal defense lawyers at Van Severen Law Office focus 100% of their representation on defending individuals with criminal charges. This complete criminal defense focus allows our defense lawyers to achieve better results for clients. Certainly hiring a criminal defense attorney that achieves consistently good results will help your case. A significant amount of our practice focuses on child abuse cases. Those cases frequently include physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm.
Finally, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Let’s start by setting up a free initial consultation. At that free consultation we’ll begin planning your defense and how we’ll fight your case. Contact our child abuse defense attorneys immediately at (414) 270-0202.
What is physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm?
(a) Whoever intentionally causes great bodily harm to a child is guilty of a Class C felony.
Certainly this is an extremely clear statute. It uses certain terms, like intentionally, great bodily harm, and child. Beyond those words, the crime is easily understood. Intentionally is a term regularly used in the Wisconsin Statutes. It means that the defendant had the mental purpose to cause great bodily harm to the victim or was aware that his or her conduct was practically certain to cause that result.
Secondly, great bodily harm means injury which creates a substantial risk of death, or which causes serious permanent disfigurement, or which causes a permanent or protracted loss or impairment of the functions of any bodily member or organ or other serious bodily injury.
What are the jury instructions for this child abuse case?
All criminal charges in Wisconsin have elements. Elements are parts of a crime, and the government must prove each element beyond a reasonable doubt. The elements of physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm are provided in Wisconsin Criminal Jury Instruction 2108, as follows:
Firstly, the defendant caused great bodily harm to the victim; and
Secondly, the defendant intentionally caused great bodily harm; and
The victim had not attained the age of 18 years at the time of the alleged offense.
The definition of child in the elements isn’t required. Instead, the jury instructions focus on whether the victim was under 18 at the time of the offense.
Jury instructions are certainly the first place we look to when defending any kind of a criminal case. The reason for this is simple: if the government cannot prove each of the elements beyond a reasonable doubt, they cannot convict you of the offense. Avoiding a conviction is certainly a victory.
Physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm is a serious felony charge in Wisconsin. Contact our time child abuse defense attorneys to start fighting your case. (414) 270-0202.
How do we defend my case?
Firstly, it’s important we point out something simple: every criminal case is different. Whether the crime is different, the facts are different, the victim is different, or you’re different, certainly no case is the same. And because of that, we must address your defense different ways.
One of the common issues we face in child abuse cases focuses on the caretaker. Were you responsible for the child at the time of the alleged abuse? If you were responsible for the child, but your mother, brother, and uncle were all in and out of the house at the same time, how can the government convict you? Concurrent responsibility of the child is certainly an issue we examine. If it can help you at trial, we dispatch our investigator to determine the viability of the defense.
Finally, is a witness lying? Certainly children lie. And unfortunately, some children do it a lot. In child abuse and sexual assault cases, we frequently encounter an especially dangerous version of lying. If I tell the police that my step dad, grandpa, or step brother did something bad to me, he’s going to disappear. If the child was previously abused, sometimes this is the case. The fact that the child does not like you could be enough for him or her to craft some sort of lie about you.
Finally, contact Van Severen Law Office for the best criminal defense
The charges you face are certainly incredibly serious. While some offenses are mitigated, physical abuse of a child: intentionally causing great bodily harm is not. This charge is the third most serious criminal offense in Wisconsin.
So ask yourself: are you looking for a child abuse specialist? Or are you looking for the cheapest attorney in town? 40 years in prison is a lifetime.
At Van Severen Law Office you’ll certainly find specialists. Our criminal defense attorneys are some of the best in Wisconsin, and they dedicate 100% of their practices to criminal defense. A significant amount of that dedication is to child abuse cases. While some attorneys only want your money, we want to win your case.
Finally, we can’t start fighting for you until you give us a call. We answer phones 24/7 at (414) 270-0202. Contact us and we’ll set up an initial consultation. Then, we’ll start fighting.
